Archipel Essais

Archipel Essais is an academic publishing collection based at the University of Lausanne (Unil) in Switzerland. Since 2001, it has published mémoires (theses or extended essays) and thematic issues written by researchers and students of the Section de français (French Department) of the University of Lausanne. The collection is overseen by a reading committee composed of teachers from the Section, who select texts according to a mix of criteria that are not exclusively academic: beyond the intellectual quality of the work, the nature of the subject and the comfort of reading are also decisive. The result is a collection of accessible, original and varied studies aimed at a broad public. Topics range across French-language and literature studies, including neo-polar (neo-crime fiction), the prehistoric novel, sound poetry, medieval literature, the place of objects in fiction, and authors such as Camus, Beckett and Kourouma. The collection thus showcases the critical richness of studies in French language and literatures at Unil. Recent volumes include N° 38, Loïc Dalle, Le Livre matérialisé, and N° 39, Marie Schmidhauser, Sartre autobiographe. The series is distributed and can be ordered through the University of Lausanne. As a university press-like collection, Archipel Essais operates as a non-commercial academic imprint rather than a profit-driven publishing house, though it functions as a publishing brand within the Swiss academic landscape.

Archipel Essais was established in 2001 as a publishing collection within the Section de français of the University of Lausanne. Its purpose was to publish mémoires and thematic issues produced by researchers and students of the department. From the outset, the collection was guided by a reading committee made up of teachers from the Section, who selected texts based on a combination of academic and non-academic criteria, including intellectual quality, the nature of the subject, and readability. Over the years, the collection has released numbered volumes covering a wide range of topics in French and Francophone literature, such as neo-crime fiction, the prehistoric novel, sound poetry, medieval literature, the role of objects in fiction, and studies on authors including Camus, Beckett, and Kourouma. By 2026, the collection had reached at least its 39th volume, with recent titles including Loïc Dalle's Le Livre matérialisé (N° 38) and Marie Schmidhauser's Sartre autobiographe (N° 39). The series remains active and continues to be published under the auspices of the University of Lausanne.

• 2026

  Publication of N° 38 (Loïc Dalle, Le Livre matérialisé) and N° 39 (Marie Schmidhauser, Sartre autobiographe).

• 2001

  Archipel Essais collection founded at the University of Lausanne.

Accessible, original and varied academic essays for a broad public, showcasing French-language and literature studies at the University of Lausanne.

• Le Livre matérialisé (N° 38)

• Sartre autobiographe (N° 39)

1. 1Archipel Essais official websitewp.unil.ch
2. 2Wikidata entry for Archipel Essaiswikidata.org