The adventure of "America", a magazine with a destiny linked to Donald Trump

Audio 41:49

Eight of the sixteen issues of America magazine.

© RFI

By: Steven Jambot Follow |

Simon Decreuze Follow

45 min

"America" ​​is over.

This “mook”, a hybrid mix between a magazine and a book, was devoted to America under Donald Trump and it ceases to appear after the latter has left the White House.

Julien Bisson, editor-in-chief of “America”, tells in “L'Atelier des Médias” the adventure of a review where 150 writers took up their pen to tell the story of the United States.

Publicity

In spring 2017, the French literary journalist 

François Busnel presented

America

at the microphone of

L'Atelier des Médias

.

 He had just launched this review with Éric Fottorino, founder of a leading French weekly,

Le 1

.

It was captioned "America as you have never read it" and was only to appear for four years, the duration of the presidential mandate that Donald Trump was beginning.

Four years later, on January 20, 2021, the 16th and final issue appeared.

In total, more than 500,000 copies of this atypical magazine were sold during these four years, making it a success, something that was not acquired when this mook landed in newsstands and bookstores, without advertising and at the price from 19 euros. 

In

America

, we read Toni Morrison (godmother of the review), Paul Auster, James Ellroy, Bret Easton Ellis, Jonathan Franzen, Joyce Carol Oates, Margaret Atwood, Jay McInerney, Jim Harrisson but also Colum McCann or Alain Mabanckou.

These writers have produced surveys, reports, essays or have confided in great interviews.

Julien Bisson

, who was the editor-in-chief of

America

, returns for the

Media Workshop

on this adventure.

He describes his review and the promise of the beginnings, tells how the issues were imagined and the contributors chosen.

Finally, he explains at length his conviction of the importance of long time and quality production.

The Media Workshop

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  • United States

  • Media

  • Journalism

  • Literature

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