French billionaire defiant as authors quit top publisher

Conservative billionaire Vincent Bollore, the owner of the Hachette group, pledged on Sunday to find new authors to replace the some 170 who have left the prestigious subsidiary Grasset in protest at alleged political interference.

The protest was ‌triggered ​by the departure of Grasset's chief executive, Olivier Nora, which the authors blame on Bollore, who is known for his highly conservative views and has shifted his outlets ever further to the right.

What did Bollore say?

In a commentary published by the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, which he also owns, Bollore expressed surprise at the "uproar" at Grasset, while vowing to keep it going with new authors.

"Grasset will continue, and those who are leaving will allow new authors to be published, promoted, recognized, and appreciated," Bollore said.

He blamed "a small caste that believes itself above everything and everyone, and that co-opts and supports itself" for the protest.

"As for the attacks concerning my 'ideology,' I reiterate once again: I am a Christian Democrat, and Hachette's management will continue to publish all authors who wish to be published," Bollore said.

Bollore said that Nora, who was Grasset CEO for 26 years, left after a dispute over the publication date for a book by French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal, who was released from an Algerian prison last year.

He also criticized Nora's record at Grasset, saying that while its turnover had fallen by 25% in 2025, the CEO's salary had risen from €830,00 to €1 million ($977,000 to $1.17 million).

His takeover of Hachette in 2023 was welcomed by many conservatives in France, who saw it as redressing what they view as a long-standing left-wing bias in French media.

What did the Grasset authors say?

In an open letter this week, the authors who quit — who include philosopher Bernard Henri-Levy and prize-winning writers Virginie Despentes and Sorj Chalandon — denounced "an unacceptable attack on the editorial independence" of the publisher.

They said they ​refused to be "hostages in an ideological war that seeks to impose authoritarianism everywhere in culture ​and the media."

"We don't want our ideas, our work, to ​be ‌his property," the authors added.

President Emmanuel Macron has responded to the affair by emphasizing the imporantance of diversity of opinion in the publishing world.

Speaking to reporters at the Paris Book Festival, Macron said, "I think it is very important to express and uphold (editorial) diversity, respect for authors, ‌the history of these publishing houses and their identities."

Grasset: A revered institution

Grasset, which was founded in 1907, made its name with well-known French literary figures such as Marcel ​Proust, Irene Nemirovsky, Francois Mauriac and Andre Malraux.

It became part of the Hachette group in 1954.

During Nora's tenure as CEO, which began in 2000, it has published works by authors including Nobel laureate Han Kang and Isabel Allende.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah