A novel scheduled for 2025 by an unknown author is already on the preliminary list for the Booker Prize. A poetry collection written by two authors is shaking up the usual publishing codes, establishing collaboration as the new norm. Some essays, announced for 2026, promise to revisit questions deemed closed by critics.
Publication schedules are accelerating, publishers are betting on surprise, and several debut novels are dominating the rankings even before their release. Trends are emerging on the fringes of traditional circuits, revealing unexpected voices and hybrid genres.
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The major literary trends that will mark 2025 and 2026
The literary scene is anything but a calm river. This year, the lines are shifting, and creativity is overflowing beyond the beaten paths. There is a genuine momentum towards the reinvention of genres and a search for narratives rooted in lived experience. Nature writing and rurality are asserting themselves strongly: novels like “Après la neige” by Frédéric Abergel or “Hors champ” by Marie-Hélène Lafon tell the story of a peripheral France, where land and memory weave robust tales, far from urban clichés. The question of political legacies and family transmission also infuses contemporary literature, as shown by “Géographie de l’oubli” by Raphaël Sigal or “Kolkhoze” by Emmanuel Carrère, Prix Médicis 2025.
The atmosphere becomes darker in the north, driven by a Nordic crime novel and a noir novel by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir or Ragnar Jónasson. These authors fascinate a readership in search of tension, icy landscapes, and characters with sharp psychology. Meanwhile, healing fiction and psychological drama are establishing themselves firmly. “Mon vrai nom est Elizabeth” by Adèle Yon or “Ici et maintenant” by Liane Moriarty are fine illustrations, delving into intimate wounds and resilience.
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The issues of mental health, transidentity, and intersex are gaining unprecedented prominence. “L’imparfait” by Éric Reinhardt or “DJ Bambi” by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir push the boundaries of the French novel, exploring identity in all its nuances. We also note the return of magical realism, as evidenced by “Margarettown” by Gabrielle Zevin, and satirical uchronia, embodied by “Hystérie collective” by Lionel Shriver, which offer fiction playgrounds to revisit history and its possibilities.
La Petite Revue echoes these developments, highlighting a literature connected to its time, attentive to societal fractures and the mutations of reality.
Which new authors and genres deserve your attention this year?
On the side of new voices, the French and international scenes are enriched by bold authors and genres in full mutation. Frédéric Abergel, with “Après la neige,” asserts himself in nature writing; Claudine Candat shakes up historical fiction with “Lisbonne avait raison”; Anthony Passeron signs “Jacky,” a dive into a family drama of rare accuracy.
The Nordic literature scene is not to be outdone. Eva Björg Ægisdóttir (“Avant que tombe la nuit”) and Ragnar Jónasson (“Hulda”) are refreshing the Nordic crime novel, moving away from worn-out formulas to better explore human flaws and the harshness of the territories. On the francophone side, Éric Reinhardt continues to explore intersex with “L’imparfait,” while Raphaël Sigal questions family memory in “Géographie de l’oubli.”
Several works illustrate the diversity and vitality of the literary genres that are asserting themselves this year:
- Gabrielle Zevin revisits magical realism with “Margarettown,” praised for its narrative uniqueness.
- Lionel Shriver excels in satirical uchronia with “Hystérie collective.”
- Adèle Yon (“Mon vrai nom est Elizabeth”) and Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir (“DJ Bambi”) place mental health and transidentity at the heart of contemporary debates.
The revisited rurality, healing fiction (Hiro Arikawa, “J’ai trouvé un homme dans le jardin”), or the palpable tension of psychological drama (Liane Moriarty, “Ici et maintenant”) demonstrate that the young generation of authors is unafraid to disrupt thematic boundaries. The result: reading gains depth and intensity, far from beaten paths.
Our selection of must-read books to broaden your horizons
This year, the reading selection displays contagious energy, driven by novels that do not hesitate to combine narrative boldness and commitment. Several French titles make a strong impact. “Kolkhoze” by Emmanuel Carrère (5/5), Prix Médicis 2025, scrutinizes Russian political legacies and collective memory. “La nuit au cœur” by Nathacha Appanah (5/5), Prix Femina, lays bare the issue of femicide with an intensity that stirs.
Magical realism takes on a new breath with “Margarettown” by Gabrielle Zevin (4.5/5), a novel praised for its originality and freedom of tone. Those seeking introspection will appreciate “L’imparfait” by Éric Reinhardt (4.6/5), which addresses intersex candidly, or “Jacky” by Anthony Passeron (4.6/5), a family narrative of rare intensity.
Here are some standout reads that are essential for anyone looking to broaden their horizons:
- “DJ Bambi” by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir (4.6/5) approaches transidentity with subtlety and poetry.
- “Mon vrai nom est Elizabeth” by Adèle Yon (4.5/5) sheds light on mental health through contemporary fiction.
- “Divorce” by Moa Herngren (4.8/5) stands out as a reference Nordic novel, exploring intimate ruptures and social decryption.
- “Géographie de l’oubli” by Raphaël Sigal (4.0/5), Prix Méduse, explores family memory and the transmission of unspoken truths.
This year, international and francophone literature intersect and enrich each other. Unique works, strong themes, uncompromising writing: this selection serves as a compass for curious readers eager to shake up their habits and expand their literary landscape. Enough to shake your references and nurture new reading desires.