Presentation of the "Quais du polar" Student Award, a literary festival in Lyon

By the Bachelor's programs in Modern Literature and Performing Arts at Grenoble and Valence,
Training
Meet Olivier Ciechelski at "Quais du polar"
On Friday, April 3, 2026, students in the “Discovering Publishing Careers” OFC program (Valence campus) had the opportunity to meet two publishing professionals: Nadège Agullo, publisher and founder of Agullo Publishing, and Stanislas Rigot, a bookseller at the Lamartine bookstore in Paris.
The meeting, held in the Conservation Room of Lyon City Hall, which had been reserved by Crime Fiction Quays The event was a lively exchange. The students asked the speakers about their careers, as well as about their daily lives and contemporary issues in the publishing world, such as the digital revolution and changes in reading habits.

In the afternoon, they met with the author, to whom they awarded the student prize following their consistent work on the award throughout the semester Crime Fiction Quays : Olivier Ciechelski for The Book of Wonders (Rouergue noir, 2025). Once again, there were many questions and a lively discussion, covering both the author’s daily writing routine—during which he offered plenty of advice—and the connections between his work as a screenwriter and, more recently, a script doctor, and his work as a fiction writer.

The Book of Wonders

This crime novel, which chronicles the investigation led by a young police officer, Nora, after she discovers a shipping container filled with the bodies of African women linked to a prostitution ring, captivates readers with its polished, almost cinematic style. The novel’s treatment of its themes has also been praised: Nora’s faith is thus called into question by the grim events that the case unfolds. The author also weaves in mystical and even fantastical elements that serve as a counterpoint to the darkness of the events described. All these elements explain the book’s success with this audience, who were able to reflect further on their impressions in a special setting on a beautiful sunny day in Lyon.
Updated on April 7, 2026