French conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré, owner of the Hachette publishing group, pledged on Sunday to find new authors to replace the approximately 170 who have left the prestigious subsidiary Grasset in protest at alleged political interference. The protest was triggered by the departure of Grasset's chief executive, Olivier Nora, which the authors blame on Bolloré, known for his hardline conservative views and for shifting his media outlets increasingly to the right.

In a commentary published by the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, which he also owns, Bolloré expressed surprise at the "uproar" at Grasset while vowing to continue its operations with new authors. He stated, "Grasset will continue, and those who are leaving will allow new authors to be published, promoted, recognized, and appreciated." Bolloré blamed the protest on "a small caste that believes itself above everything and everyone, and that co-opts and supports itself." He added, "As for the attacks concerning my 'ideology,' I reiterate once again: I am a Christian Democrat, and Hachette's management will continue to publish all authors who wish to be published."

Bolloré claimed that Nora, who served as Grasset CEO for 26 years, left after a dispute over the publication date for a book by French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal, who was released from an Algerian prison last year. He also criticized Nora's performance at Grasset, noting that while its turnover fell by 25% in 2025, the CEO's salary increased from €830,000 to €1 million. Bolloré's takeover of Hachette in 2023 was welcomed by many conservatives in France, who saw it as redressing what they view as a long-standing left-wing bias in French media.

In an open letter this week, the authors who quit—including philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy and prize-winning writers Virginie Despentes and Sorj Chalandon—denounced "an unacceptable attack on the editorial independence" of the publisher. They said they refused to be "hostages in an ideological war that seeks to impose authoritarianism everywhere in culture and the media." The authors added, "We don't want our ideas, our work, to be his property."

President Emmanuel Macron responded to the affair by emphasizing the importance of diversity of opinion in the publishing world. Speaking to reporters at the Paris Book Festival, Macron said, "I think it is very important to express and uphold editorial diversity, respect for authors, the history of these publishing houses and their identities." Founded in 1907, Grasset made its name with well-known French literary figures such as Marcel Proust, Irène Némirovsky, François Mauriac, and André Malraux. It became part of the Hachette group in 1954. During Nora's tenure as CEO, which began in 2000, it has published works by authors including Nobel laureate Han Kang and Isabel Allende.

Source: www.dw.com