Story and photos by Morgen Lily Neuhauser
From stories of what Arles may have been like back in Roman times to ones about a detective investigating the seemingly supernatural on the streets of modern day Arles, books featuring the city and Arlesian culture fill the shelves of local bookstores. With a population of less than 55,000, Arles has over 15 publishing houses, according to its Office of Tourism and the city lists nearly a dozen specialized book stores.
Julian Frédéric, manager of the Arles BD Bookstore, said that because Arles is the only French city outside of Paris to have a major publisher, authors can write about all aspects of the city’s culture.
“There are people who are really attached to ancient history and there are the people who want to show the city of Arles,” Frédéric said.
Etienne Bouet launched his photobook, Contemporary Bus Stops Design (PT), at Actes Sud, Arles’ largest publishing house last week. Actes Sud was opened in 1978 by author Hubert Nyssen. Today its location in Arles houses a movie theater, a restaurant, a bookstore, various art exhibitions and a hammam.
Bouet’s book is filled with images and stories of unique bus stops he has seen throughout his travels. In the book, he writes about micro architecture and analyzes the designs of various bus stops. Bouet said his book will eventually be in stores all over Europe, but it started with a book signing in Arles.
“It’s the first time that people speak to me and say, ‘I like this book because the photography is original,’ and we speak with the fans and it’s okay,” Bouet said. “It’s the beginning of the book.”
Readers delight in having access to unique books, said Nina Tissot, a longtime customer of Actes Sud.
By shopping in local bookstores, Tissot said that readers have a wide variety of choices and can find a lot of rare books. Browsing in the town’s many book shops is a way to find books that you normally wouldn’t have read, according to Tissot.
She said that discovering new literature is important. One of her favorite things about reading is when she’s attracted to a cover and then discovers a remarkable story inside.
“I like being shocked and surprised and finding something that I didn’t think I would find in a book,” Tissot said as she stood amongst books on display in Actes Sud.
Additionally, Tissot said bookstores are a great place to meet up and bond with others over a shared passion for reading.
In addition to Actes Sud, there are a lot of small publishers. The Librairie du Palais is a small specialized bookstore that publishes many photobooks in-house. It reopened in 2020 and has served as a bookstore and studio space for photographers ever since.
Delphine Manjard, head bookseller at The Librairie du Palais, said that this model of publishing allows for artists to work on their passion projects, thereby producing an array of work that has very important messaging.
“We are surrounded by images and you always believe what you see,” Manjard said. “But in photography, nothing is true. Everything is a construction. So I think photography tells a lot about our society. And it’s also a very powerful tool to change society. I think we are trying to change society with art and to try to make things better, more inclusive.”
Bookstores like The Librairie du Palais encourage a culture and community of artists, said Manjard, and the importance of art cannot be understated. Manjard said art, specifically photography, is a powerful tool to help change society.
“I have faith in the power of artists,” Manjard said. “For example, when there is a catastrophe, when there’s something really hopeless happening, who are you going to call? You are going to call an artist to sing or to perform to bring back hope.”