French Literature Reviews - 2026
Amos Reichman, Jacques Schiffrin. Un éditeur en exil. La vie du fondateur de la Pléiade
Writers: Biography, Letters and Memoirs
Born into a wealthy Jewish family in Imperial Russia, the renowned publisher Jacques Schiffrin (1892–1950) experienced exile twice. First in Paris, where in 1931 he founded the "Bibliothèque de la Pléiade", and later in the 1940s in New York, where he helped establish Pantheon Books.
While the "Bibliothèque de la Pléiade" greatly contributed to the prestige of French culture in the 1930s, the Second World War brought the founder's French idyll to an end.
After the war in New York, Schiffrin wished to return to Paris. It would have seemed natural for him to resume the direction of the "Bibliothèque de la Pléiade". Having become the property of Gallimard with his consent in 1933, he had remained its sole director. However, the consequences of "Aryanization" policies prompted Gaston Gallimard to dismiss Schiffrin in November 1940 from the helm of the series he had created himself.
Amos Reichman evokes with great sensitivity the sorrow of exile while drawing upon meticulous archival research on both sides of the Atlantic to present Schiffrin's correspondence with his friends, most notably Roger Martin du Gard.
In this golden age of publishing, Schiffrin left an enduring mark. His legacy is immense, and both of his creations survive to this day. In France, the "Bibliothèque de la Pléiade" has become the benchmark of classic literature, while Pantheon Books has greatly enriched English-language publishing.
With its share of personal tragedies and magnificent successes, the life of Jacques Schiffrin offers a perfect reflection of the 20th century.
*
An article about this work can be read on en-attendant-nadeau.fr:
"Jacques Schiffrin, itinéraire d’un exilé", by Gisèle Sapiro (online November 17, 2021).
Interest in the biographies of intellectuals, writers, and artists forced to emigrate due to political events has grown amid the current influx of refugees. Emphasis has largely been placed on the contributions these displaced individuals made to their host cultures. Less attention has been paid to the obstacles they faced and the experience of exile, described so poignantly by Hannah Arendt in her 1943 article "We Refugees" and by Edward Said in his Reflections on Exile. This is precisely what Amos Reichman accomplishes in this biography of Jacques Schiffrin, which also stands out for its focus on a cultural mediator rather than a primary creator. Based on previously unpublished archives from the Schiffrin family, particularly their correspondence, this biography sheds light on an overlooked chapter of cultural history: how publishing was revitalized by foreign editors.
Read an article about this work on Actualitte.com…
Also read on Diakritik.com…
And on larepubliquedeslivres.com, Pierre Assouline's blog:
"De la Pléiade et de son inventeur, Jacques Schiffrin (online October 30, 2021)
"Some twenty years ago, mingling with the literary crowd gathered at the famous annual Gallimard cocktail party in the aforementioned 'jardin de la Pléiade', I caught a glimpse of their CEO Antoine Gallimard deep in conversation with the American publisher of Pantheon Books, André Schiffrin. Their animated discussion seemed increasingly intense, if not nervous. When they spotted me, they signaled for me to approach. They believed they had found, in Gaston Gallimard's biographer, an arbiter for their dispute: did the great publisher 'kill' the founder of the Pléiade by dismissing him because he was Jewish at the start of the Occupation? When I remarked to Jacques Schiffrin's son (born in Baku in 1892, died in New York in 1950) that he had once promised to open 'the suitcase of archives' for me so I could study his father's correspondence and papers locked inside since the end of the war, Gaston Gallimard's grandson immediately offered to fund the trip and publish the results 'whatever they might be' in the Nouvelle revue française.
These famous documents, expected to shed full light on this specific episode of publishing history under the Nazi boot, rich with heralded revelations, were never made available for me to consult, despite the cordial relations I subsequently maintained with the New York publisher. [...]"
This biography explores the remarkable journey of Jacques Schiffrin, a visionary publisher whose career intersected with some of the most dramatic historical shifts of the twentieth century. Born in Imperial Russia, Schiffrin found a home in the vibrant Parisian literary scene of the interwar period, where he conceived the prestigious Bibliothèque de la Pléiade. By gathering classic authors into elegant, compact volumes, he transformed modern publishing before the rise of fascism and anti-Semitic persecution forced him into a second exile in New York, where he helped shape the foundation of Pantheon Books.
Amos Reichman examines the complexities of intellectual displacement, cultural mediation, and the heavy personal toll exacted by historical catastrophe. Utilizing family archives and correspondence with figures such as Roger Martin du Gard, the book addresses broader questions about exile, institutional memory, and the often-overlooked contributions of foreign editors to Western culture. It will appeal to historians of twentieth-century publishing, scholars of French literature, and readers interested in biographies of cultural figures who navigated the turbulent intersection of politics and literature.