Internal sources at the Fayard publishing house denounced Vincent Bolloré's "ideological" project on Tuesday, deploring that the conservative billionaire wants to recover this brand for the benefit of a very right-wing publisher.
This editor is Lise Boëll, 57 years old.
She is known for being behind the transformation of Éric Zemmour, journalist at Le Figaro, into a successful far-right essayist, published by Albin Michel in the 2010s.
Hachette Livre, a subsidiary of Lagardère, and therefore of Vivendi, Vincent Bolloré's group, announced on February 22 the appointment of Lise Boëll as general director of Mazarine editions.
The group then specified that Mazarine and Fayard, another Hachette Livre house, would now be independent, after having been linked for 45 years.
According to internal sources at Fayard interviewed by AFP, Vincent Bolloré initially wanted to hire Lise Boëll at Fayard.
This project met with strong disapproval within this house, from CEO Isabelle Saporta to employees, unions and authors.
The billionaire therefore changed plans.
These sources at Fayard were questioned about press information, in La Lettre and Le Monde, indicating that the brand would be affixed to Mazarine's books.
“The use of the brand will escape Fayard editions, since the plan is to transfer it in the form of a license, without any editorial control,” one of these sources confirmed to AFP, on condition of anonymity. .
“Fayard and Mazarine are two ideological projects that have nothing to do with each other.
For both to have the same name, it would make no sense,” she added.
Questioned by AFP about this plan to use the Fayard brand by Mazarine, a source close to Vivendi refused to comment.
The management of Hachette Livre could not be reached, as was Lise Boëll.
“At a time when we are wondering about diversity within Vincent Bolloré's media, he is giving an example of how he intends to impose his ideological line,” said another source within the company.
“A CNews type publishing house”
“At Fayard, everyone understands very well that there could be a CNews type publishing house [TV news channel also controlled by Mr. Bolloré, Editor's note].
But not that we erase our house and everything it represents,” she added.
Video.
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Vincent Bolloré reproduces what he had already put in place in a rival publishing group that he owned until the end of 2023, the French number two Editis.
When Lise Boëll left Albin Michel at the end of 2021 after 24 years of career, he jumped at the opportunity to hire her.
He had appointed her to head Plon, which, like Fayard, is one of the oldest French publishing houses still in activity.
According to internal AFP sources, Hachette Livre intends to set up Mazarine premises in Paris on rue d'Assas, like Plon at the time.
And Lise Boëll plans to surround herself with several collaborators from Plon, to attract the same authors, including Philippe de Villiers and Stéphane Bern.
L'Obs affirmed at the beginning of February that Lise Boëll had convinced the president of the National Rally Jordan Bardella to be the publisher of her first book, in view of the European elections in June where he will be head of the list.
This work is one of the main reasons why the management, employees and authors of this house do not want any link of association with Mazarine.
“A license means: I want your name, I want your brand, your prestige, and you have no say,” lamented one of these sources.
Vincent Bolloré makes no secret of his attachment to traditionalist Catholicism, and is denounced by many detractors as using the media and publishing houses he controls for the benefit of a reactionary political project.