ABDESSLAM MIRDASS / Hans Lucas via AFP
After 27 years with Gallimard, the split is official for Boualem Sansal, who is expected to publish his first novel since his release with Grasset (a subsidiary of Hachette).
Is a major literary shakeup underway? Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal, fresh off his election to the French Academy in January, is reportedly poised to turn into the latest cultural acquisition for Vincent Bolloré.
The author has finalized his departure from his longtime publisher, Gallimard, according to an AFP report this Thursday, March 12. While nothing is confirmed at this stage, both AFP and La Lettre indicate that the author will be joining the empire of the conservative billionaire through Hachette, France’s leading publishing house.
Specifically, Boualem Sansal is expected to land at Éditions Grasset, a Hachette Livre subsidiary led by Olivier Nora. According to statements from Boualem Sansal reported by Le Monde, “nothing is done, nothing is official” at this point. Even though, the 81-year-old author does confirm that discussions are underway with Bolloré’s publishing house.
Hachette declined to comment on the potential addition of the acclaimed author when contacted by AFP. An announcement could come as early as Friday during the launch of the “Grandes Rencontres Hachette” event, a three-day celebration of the group’s 200th anniversary in Paris.
Divorce acté with Gallimard
What’s certain is that the author, who was granted French citizenship in 2024, has announced his decision to end his collaboration with Gallimard. Antoine Gallimard, the publisher’s CEO, reacted “with sadness and disappointment,” according to the publisher. “We didn’t have the conversation I would have liked to have” regarding the reasons for his departure, Gallimard told Le Monde, adding that he was very “pained.”
The split is particularly surprising to those at Gallimard. The relationship between the author and the publishing house had been strong since the publication of his first perform, Le Serment des barbares, in 1999. Gallimard went on to publish all of his books: Le village de l’Allemand, Rue Darwin, 2084, la fin du monde, and Vivre, his most recent book, published in 2024. They also actively campaigned for his release following his arrest in Algeria in November 2024. “We fought for him to be released from prison, I was in contact with two lawyers, the French ambassador to Algiers, we created a support association, I made sure that his play, Le Village de l’Allemand, was performed in Paris,” the publisher emphasized to Le Monde.
Gallimard was at the forefront of efforts to secure his release, which finally came on November 12 via a pardon from Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune after a year in Algerian prisons.
