An unprecedented split is shaking up French publishing.
On Wednesday, 115 writers published by Grasset announced that they were leaving the publishing house after Vincent Bolloré ousted its chairman Olivier Nora.
In a joint letter, the authors denounced the "ideological war" waged by the ultraconservative billionaire - who owns the Hachette Livre Group, which includes Grasset - to "impose authoritarianism throughout culture and the media", and warned: "We will not sign our next book with Grasset".
Olivier Nora's hasty departure
This mobilisation, rare in its scale, was launched quickly after the announcement of the surprise departure of Olivier Nora, who had headed the publishing house for 26 years.
While the official reasons for his dismissal have not been given, the authors are directly blaming Vincent Bolloré, accusing him of imposing his line: "Once again, Vincent Bolloré is saying: 'I'm at home and I can do what I want'", and adding: "We don't want our ideas, our work, to be his property".
Olivier Nora's departure may be linked to tensions over the publication of the upcoming book by famous Algerian author Boualem Sansal, who recently joined Grasset.
It seems that there was a disagreement between the management team over the timing of the publication of this book about his imprisonment in Algeria. However, the writer himself disputed this version, insisting that Olivier Nora had written to him to say: "You have nothing to do with this".
The signatories include Virginie Despentes, Vanessa Springora and Sorj Chalandon. All pay tribute to the man they describe as_"_the bulwark and cement" of a publishing house renowned for the diversity of its writers.
The Hachette group in transformation
This exodus is part of a wider transformation of the Hachette Livre group, controlled by Vincent Bolloré since 2023.
A number of senior executives have already left their posts amid strategic disagreements, including Arnaud Nourry and Sophie de Closets.
At the same time, some publishers, such as Fayard, have seen their editorial line evolve, with the publication of authors with right-wing or extreme right-wing leanings, such as Nicolas Sarkozy, Jordan Bardella and Philippe de Villiers.
