Amidst ongoing public feuds involving French celebrities, a new dispute has emerged between author Frédéric Beigbeder and online personality Lena Situations. The conflict, stemming from Beigbeder’s critical reviews of Situations’ work dating back to 2020, recently reignited with a sharply worded column in Le Figaro Magazine and a pointed response from the influencer on social media. The escalating exchange highlights a broader tension between traditional literary critique and the world of digital content creation.
A feud between rappers Booba and Gims, and a rivalry on Dancing with the Stars between Natasha St-Pier and Inès Reg have already captured public attention. But a new clash is brewing, this time between celebrated author Frédéric Beigbeder and popular online personality Lena Situations. The dispute unfolded after Beigbeder published a scathing critique of Situations in his latest weekly column, published in Le Figaro Magazine on Friday, November 28, where he described her as “the reincarnation of Ok! Magazine and the Junior Beaver Handbook.”
The author of Love Lasts Three Years reportedly took issue with Lena Mahfouf dedicating her recently released book, Even Better (released November 14), to him. This dedication appears to be a response to criticism Beigbeder leveled against her in Le Figaro Magazine in 2020, following the publication of her first book, Always More.
When questioned about the “nod” to the author on the show C à vous, the content creator explained, “One could believe his attack is personal, but he was really attacking an entire generation. The Facebook generation, as he called it in his article. I think that generation is much more brilliant than he gives it credit for.”
“After reading, your thing should be titled ‘Just as Bad'”
Many thought the matter was settled, but Beigbeder revisited the topic with the publication of his latest column on Friday. He addressed the release of Even Better, calling its title “misleading.” “After reading, your thing should be titled ‘Just as Bad’,” he wrote.
The author – who appears to be defending his previous statements – didn’t hold back. “In the introduction to your thing, you mention my critique of your first work from November 2020. You’ll have to try to get over that… You accuse me of disparaging your generation, that’s false: I spend my life revealing young talents, of which you are not one,” he wrote.
Echoing his sentiments from 2020, Beigbeder once again criticized the “marketing” – which he acknowledges is expertly managed – employed by the influencer. “I despise your digital marketing that dumbed down your generation. I despise your idolatry of sales figures and the number of followers as the sole criterion of quality. I despise your way of artificially victimizing yourself to appeal to the well-meaning press.”
“Whether you’re twenty years old, or a grandfather! When you’re stupid, you’re stupid”
Lena Situations clearly wasn’t pleased with Beigbeder’s 2020 critique, and her response in the form of a book dedication appears to have deeply irritated the author.
To the point of being insulting? “You could have been a new Diana Vreeland, but as an interviewer, you don’t hold a candle to Mouloud Achour. As for the conflict of generations, allow me to quote a poet who died before your birth, Georges Brassens, because no one has ever written anything better about the only thing that unites us: ‘Whether you’re twenty years old, or a grandfather! When you’re stupid, you’re stupid,’” he concluded.
It’s unlikely that this ending will be well-received by the young woman, or her followers. Lena Situations quickly responded on Instagram, sharing a screenshot of the author’s column from Le Figaro and highlighting his age – “60 years old” – before adding “anywayyy,” “brefff,” in French. Is this the end of this public spat?
