La Maison Julien Gracq

Residency brief

The Maison Julien Gracq is an organization dedicated to literature, art and knowledge created in 2012. The idea was to comply with author Julien Gracq’s will stating that his family estate should become a place of work and rest for the contemporary authors. Today the estate is both a place to commemorate Julien Gracq’s work and a place of author-in-residence programs. It is composed of the family house renovated to accommodate the authors, a building named “Grenier à sel” open to visitors and several gardens.

The Maison Julien Gracq is dedicated to promoting literature for all. Each year, it organises various events, including events with the authors in residency, to encourage interest towards literature, the authors and the process of writing. The highlight of these events is the festival “Les préférences” organized every other year in September. Each edition has its theme but it is always linked with literature and geography as Julien Gracq himself was a writer and a geographer.

In 2023, the Maison Julien Gracq celebrated its 10-year anniversary. For all these years, the organization has welcomed authors in the calm and inspiring city of Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, on the banks of the Loire River.

  • Thematic focus Literature
  • Location Saint-Florent-Le-Vieil (Pays de la Loire)
  • Dates July 2025
  • Length of stay 4 weeks
  • Apply Now

Our space

Saint-Florent-le-Vieil is a village of 2900 inhabitants located in the beautiful Loire Valley, an hour away from Nantes and Angers.

Julien Gracq’s family house was built by his parents at the beginning of the 20th century. The large house was entirely renovated in 2012 and three apartments were constructed. Each has a living space with a kitchenette, a bedroom and a bathroom. In addition to the apartments, three rooms have been turned into offices overlooking the Loire River. Each author in residency can use one. On the ground floor, a shared kitchen with more equipment is accessible. Outside the house, a huge garden divided into several floors is freely accessible by the authors-in-residence. Bicycles are available to pace up and down the Loire River on what is called the “Loire à Vélo” trail, a 900-kilometre-long bike lane from the spring to the estuary of the river.

Residency conditions

  • The resident will be given accommodation in an individual apartment equipped with writing desks and wi-fi. The common spaces include the Book Lounge, a common room and many other writing spaces.
  • The resident’s travel costs to and from his/her home address will be covered by the French Institute in India.
  • The resident will receive a fixed stipend of INR. 60,000 per month to cover his/her food and living expenses.
  • The resident will receive a fixed residency grant of INR. 50 000 per month.
  • The resident should be willing to give up to 20% of his/her residency time to participate in lectures, workshops, and conferences organized by the residency or the French Institute in India.
  • The French Institute in India expects the selected resident to send them a short text (1000 - 2000 words) or strip testifying of their experience within 3 months of completion of the residency.
  • This is an exploratory residence, which means that there is no other obligation of results at the end of the residency. However, the residency program needs to be acknowledged in any artistic production resulting from the residency.

Eligibility criteria

  • Proficiency in English is required for the applicant, whereas fluency in French is not a prerequisite.
  • The resident must have a minimum of one published book by a French publisher to apply.
  • Applications from self-published writers will not be considered.