Nearly 150 authors, including some of the biggest names in French literature, announced on Thursday they will quit the French publishing house Grasset – owned by media mogul Vincent Bolloré – in protest at the departure of its veteran boss Olivier Nora.
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Nora, 66, who headed up Grasset for 26 years, left the publishing house on Tuesday. The reason for his departure has not been given.
He will be replaced by Jean-Christophe Thiery – a close associate of Bolloré, who controls Grasset through his publishing group Hachette Livre.
“[Nora’s] dismissal is an unacceptable attack on editorial independence and creative freedom,” the departing authors wrote in an open letter sent to French news agency AFP and the newspaper Le Monde.
“Once again, Vincent Bolloré says ‘I am at home and I do what I want’, disregarding those who publish, those who support, edit, proofread, produce, distribute and sell our books. And disregarding those who read us.”
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‘An ideological war’
The letter, signed by best-selling heavyweights including Virginie Despentes, Sorj Chalandon, Bernard-Henri Lévy and Frédéric Beigbeder, continues: “We do not want our ideas – our work – to become his property.
“Today, we share one thing: we refuse to be hostages in an ideological war aimed at imposing authoritarianism across culture and the media. We stand in full solidarity with the teams, authors and writers who are not yet able to speak out.
“We are Grasset authors, we have published with Grasset, or we have a book due to be published by Grasset, but we will not sign our next book with Grasset.”
Another of the signatories, Claude Askolovitch, on Thursday told French broadcaster France Inter: “Vincent Bolloré is like Attila [the Hun]: he arrives, he destroys as he pleases, he corrupts – because there are people who stay and have no choice.”
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Colombe Schneck, who also signed the open letter, told AFP: “We couldn’t just do nothing. Olivier Nora’s departure was the spark.”
Chalandon, also speaking to the news agency, said: “I have always said that if a hair on Olivier Nora’s head were touched, I would leave Grasset. And my position has not changed.”
Hachette Livre did not comment when contacted by AFP.
The events at Grasset come as the Grand Palais in central Paris is preparing to host the Paris Book Fair. In March, Amazon announced that it was withdrawing from the fair, despite the fact that it was due to be present for the first time as a sponsor.
The French Booksellers’ Union had protested against Amazon’s involvement and had threatened to withdraw its participation.
(with newswires)
