French intellectuals enjoyed a high level of esteem compared to others in other countries, but this esteem sometimes blinds flaws and critical mistakes, or even helps to tolerate mistakes that cannot be tolerated.

Last February, French police raided the headquarters of the "Gallimard" publishing firm in Paris.

In search of documents related to the writer Gabriel Matznev, accused of child sexual abuse, and a well-known editor who participated in planning to award Matznev a prestigious literary prize in France a few years ago was arrested by a jury that included the 2008 Nobel Prize winner for literature, a member of the French Language Academy and some Most notable French writers.

A history of immunity

In a report published in The Christian Science Monitor, journalist Colette Davidson wrote that the French cultural elite has enjoyed a special place in society since the French Revolution, when some praised their ideas for rebellion, their opposition to political culture, and their struggle for freedom of expression, and they were credited with it. By some to ignite the revolution itself.

By May 1968 - when student protests led to national strikes and civil unrest - the French had long relied on their intellectual class to provide moral guidance on political and social issues.

Literary figures in particular were celebrated, such as: Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Victor Hugo;

For their free thinking and their progressive ideology.

Baudelaire and Flaubert were especially appreciative of their stories of liberal lifestyles.

In this context, the writer Matznev - who fled to Italy in conjunction with setting the date for his trial on charges of child abuse in France this year - was able to write widely, without punishment, about his sexual relations with girls and teenage boys between the ages of 8 and 14, Throughout his career, he was the recipient of many French literary prizes.

In a report published by the American New York Times, the authors, Noremitsu Onishi and Konstan Mehot, say that this case and other scandals related to the publishing houses in France shed light on a literary elite separated from reality, which is used to evading moral rules and committing transgressions without any. Accountability.

In this regard, Olivier Nora, head of the Gracie publishing house, says that "it is likely that this is one of the last circles that has remained free from investigations and the disclosure of understandings, illegal deals and favoritism."

Issues and criticisms

Nora contributed significantly to raising the case against Matznev, who is known for his sexual orientation towards children for a long time, after publishing the book "Le Consentement", in which author Vanessa Springura recounts the relationship she had with Matznev when she was 14 years old.

Nora asserts that he has not hesitated to publish the book, despite the fact that Springora's testimony includes well-known names from the literary elite in France.

In a recent two-hour interview with him, Noura spoke of his commitment to publishing works that reflect divergent views and expose all excesses in the literary milieu, but he expressed doubts about the possibility of reforming literary arbitration bodies in France.

Hugh Gallon, who has supervised the Sui publishing house since 2018, expresses his dissatisfaction with the corruption of the jury in French literary circles, and Gallon says that unlike the British Booker Prize or the American Pulitzer Prize, where the judges change every year, and the members voluntarily resign because of any Suspicion of a conflict of interest;

The judges at most of the French Grand Prix prizes keep their positions for life, and some work with publishing houses, which guarantees the elite's long-term interests.

The authors believe that these concerns expressed by Nora and Gallon must be taken seriously, because the two men run two of the largest publishing houses in France, in addition to the "Gallimard" house that was raided early last year.

Since the year 2000, the three round has won half of the prizes awarded in the four major literary competitions in France, and it has been published throughout this period 70% of the judges wrote in these competitions, and among the current 38 judges in the four major prizes 20% of them work in a publishing house. Three.

The two writers confirm that Antoine Gallimard, president of "Gallimard" and the grandson of its founder, refused to give an interview to The New York Times to respond to the criticism that the Foundation faced last year for publishing Matznev's books for a long time.

Wave change

According to expert in publishing history Jean-Yves Mollier, Gallimard has been slow to embrace change compared to other major publishers.

Insiders of the secrets of the literary sector in France also consider that the house "Gallimard" was the most committed to obtaining the most important literary awards in the country.

Olivier Nora confirms that he began to change the strategy of the "Gracie" house since he assumed the presidency of the Foundation more than two decades ago.

At that time, "Gracie", he said, was accustomed to offering generous advantages to the judges in major literary competitions.

Nora adds that France does not have enough talent to renew the arbitration panels annually, and in return suggests that a third of the jury members for literary competitions be changed every 5 years.

According to the two writers, the crisis is not only related to the arbitration bodies, but extends to the reading committees composed of the most prominent critics and writers, which decide what is published in the most prestigious French publishing houses, as these committees do not reflect the reality of cultural diversity in the country.

The data of the three publishing houses (Gracé, Soi, and Gallimard) show that the average age of the members - 37 - of the reading committees is 62 years, about a third of them are women, and all of them are white, except for one member.

Nora believes that the generation of elderly writers in France have a special perspective on current issues, such as social diversity, feminism, race and colonialism, and he adds, "It is clear that there is a great difficulty in criticizing the self and dismantling the system in which we were raised."

According to the two authors, there are some attempts to change and address the stalemate in the French literary milieu, including the initiative launched by the "Jean-Claude Latis" publishing house, affiliated with the "Gracie" Foundation;

By publishing a group called "La Grunade", run by a novelist of "Turkish-Kurdish" origin, and focusing on writers outside the traditional system.