Initiative
02/23/2010
Literary Escapes: a Sofitel, a writer and a destination
On the occasion of the Literary Escapes, ten french speakers authors have been invited to publish short stories inspired by their travel in Sofitel hotels.
Readings, discussions, debates
With the “Literary Escapes”, Sofitel has the ambition to create link between travel, literature and the French art de recevoir. The concept: inviting writers to discover a hotel of their choice and to write a short story during their stay.
The writer was completely free to choose his subject matter, inspired by the hotel, the destination, encounters or local events. During his stay, the author also took part in events arranged by the hotel: readings, discussions or debates...
This is an innovative cultural operation, that reinforces the link not only between the different hotels but also among guests, hailing from all different horizons, who can in this way discover French literature with a writer as a guide, and a destination with a Sofitel hotel.
Ten writers have already wandered at will in Sofitel hotels and completed short stories.
Postcard of the hotel
The first in the series, written by Yasmina Khadra about Marrakech, has been published on the Literary Escapes website. Literary Escapes is now taking off in the media, thanks to an exclusive joint venture with The Figaro, the leading French daily newspaper. A joint Literary Escapes website, updated every first Thursday of the month, with an extract from each short story and a postcard from the corresponding hotel, published in the paper's literary supplement.
They made a stop in Sofitel hotels :
Daniel Arsand - Sofitel Strasbourg Grande Ile (France)
Neil Bissoondath - Sofitel Hôtel Paris Scribe (France)
Jean-Paul Enthoven - Sofitel Lisbon Liberdade (Portugal)
Yasmina Khadra - Sofitel Marrakech Imperial Hotel & Spa (Morocco)
Eduardo Manet - Sofitel Agadir Royal Bay Resort (Morocco)
Jean-Marie Rouart - Sofitel Essaouira Medina & Spa (Morocco
Gonzague Saint-Bris - Sofitel Fès Palais Jamaï (Morocco)
Akli Tadjer - Sofitel Algiers Hamma Garden (Algeria)
Pierre Vavasseur - Sofitel Lyon Bellecour (France)
Delphine de Vigan - Sofitel Marseille Vieux Port (France)