faced with Jordan Bardella's book, independent bookstores assume their “choice”

“You won’t find Jordan Bardella’s book in my bookstore. » On this point, Véronique Revington, manager of the very young bookstore Lire Ma Page, in Loches, is categorical. It is also not the only independent bookstore in Indre-et-Loire which will not put the autobiography of the president of the National Rally, published this November 9, 2024 by Éditions Fayard, in its displays. “We are independent, we have the right to make choices according to our values”argues the bookseller. Who, like all those interviewed by The New Republic, “will respect” also its clients – and the law – by ordering the work on demand.

Between boycott and “vigilance”

Some go further, like Fabienne Yvain, of L'Oiseau-Vigie, in Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, who since the summer has boycotted the entire Fayard editions catalog. “It’s a beautiful house, a historic house, but with the arrival of the director Isabelle Saporta to replace her with Éric Zemmour’s editor, Lise Boël, there is deception, estimates the bookseller. We are usurping the reputation of this house. » A clear choice that is causing debate in the sector.

“Their literature section still has a good catalog, with some nice names in it”tempers for example Antoine Jarrige, of the Le Tumulte bookstore, in Vouvray. If he does not immediately exclude the titles of the flagship of Hachettes editions, now in the fold of Vincent Bolloré, he now exercises “great vigilance, particularly in the human sciences”. Cited by everyone, Faïza Guène's latest novel illustrates this divide between political ideology and literature. “Overall, we no longer take new releases from Fayard, but we ordered this novel for our customers,” resolved Nicolas Vassal, manager of the Les Temps Sauvages bookstore in Tours.

“With us, each book is chosen”

Rather than censoring, these independent booksellers promote a form of consistency. “I think my customers would have been surprised to see Bardella in my home”smiles Nicolas Vassal, as he rolls out the program of meetings organized by the cooperative bookstore, which has several authors fighting far-right ideas.

“Here, all the Books are chosen, and I take responsibility for it”also recalls Fabienne Yvain. An imperative, when you have to fit in a space that rarely exceeds 50 m²while several dozen new titles are released every week. At L'Oiseau-Vigie, as at Les Temps Sauvage or Le Tumulte, space is given to works devoted to the debate of ideas, but little to political figures. “Books by women and men in general do not sell”points out Antoine Jarrige.

Fayard, however, seems to be banking on the success of the first opus by the president of the National Rally, with a first print run of 155,000 copies. “Those who want it will be able to find it by the entire stack in the Relay (owned by Vincent Bolloré) or supermarkets »returns the bookseller. As well as in large general bookstores. At the Book Box, 1,000 m² on several floors in the center of Tours, director Joël Afkin prefers to kick in, evoking a form “of omerta”. On the bookstore's website, What I'm looking for, by Jordan Bardella, is in any case already offered as “new”, available for pre-order.