The mobilization of booksellers and the entire republic of letters paid off.
The government ended up recognizing, by a decree, that bookstores are so-called "
essential
" businesses, just like food
stores
or those useful for daily life.
Independent bookstores and cultural brands will therefore be able to remain open in the event of a possible confinement, while respecting the hours imposed by the curfew.
Read also: Reconfinement: the world of books protests against the closure of bookstores
"
This decision is recognition of the mobilization of an entire profession and, beyond that, of the book industry as a whole, as well as of the readers themselves, whose support throughout the health crisis was exceptional
" , says the Syndicat de la librairie française.
Who adds that this good news is also the fruit of the action of the Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, and of the Minister of the Economy, Bruno le Maire, “
whose conviction and commitment in favor of bookstores and the book must be welcomed
”.
The considerable success of the "
Open bookstores
"
petition
It is true that mobilization has rarely been so intense.
In a few days, the initiatives had multiplied like hot cakes, while the publishing world is considered quite lonely.
The petition
"Mr. President, let's choose culture by reopening bookstores"
launched by François Busnel with the French bookstore union and the National Publishing Union had been a considerable success and gathered hundreds of thousands of supporters. .
It was a battle on all fronts had underlined the founder of
La Grande Librairie
: Moral: "
With their closure, France is depriving itself of its best battalion to allow us to face obscurantism
".
At the economic level: "To
close bookstores is to condemn a whole section of the cultural economy, undoubtedly to falter, for some to disappear
".
And existential aspect: "
We saw it just after the first confinement, there are millions of French people who want to read, who need to read ...
".
In addition to this petition, François Busnel, Erik Orsenna and Anne Hidalgo had written a letter to Emmanuel Macron.
"Closing bookstores is contrary to the values of the Republic"
Anne Martelle, President of the French Bookstore Union
Anne Martelle, the new president of the French bookstore union (SLF), told us that with the closure during the first confinement, booksellers had the feeling of suffering an immense injustice.
“
What they are experiencing is neither justified nor fair.
Closing bookstores is even contrary to the values of the Republic.
Without books, there is no transmission of knowledge, no knowledge,
”she stressed.
Hence this incredible general mobilization.
Read also: French bookstores managed to limit breakage in 2020
The fact that the bookstore is finally recognized as an essential trade has been greeted as a "
A victory for books and reading
", says the SLF: "
The special place that books and reading occupy in our society is there. reaffirmed, especially in these times of crisis when they provide both pleasure, escape and keys to apprehend the upheavals of the world.
We see it as a first step towards reopening all the places of culture and life that we are so impatiently awaiting
”.
The SLF sees further.
He stresses that maintaining the opening of bookstores, where confinement applies, that is to say already in Dunkirk and Nice, will reduce the economic damage linked to the ban on hosting. the public: "
It will also allow booksellers to continue to advise their clients, to promote quality titles, beyond the only best sales, in a word to maintain the pleasure of the exchange which is at the heart of their profession
" .
Both independent bookstores and cultural brands have welcomed this good news.
There aren't that many ...
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