The event dates from 1999, L’Express, rich in its bestseller lists provided by Edistat (and faithful to its excellence, having published a list in November 1959 (1)), then organized its first literary bestsellers luncheon. . A time when the big houses already reigned (the famous “Galligraseuil”, Albin Michel, etc.), but where the cenacle of happy writers was very masculine and where you could smoke in restaurants. The results of this premiere? Philippe Delerm, Martin Winckler, Michel Houellebecq, Françoise Chandernagor, Paule Constant, Claude Michelet, Jean-Christophe Grangé or even (in essays) Tahar Ben Jelloun, Barbara, Serge Halimi, Aldo Naouri, Umberto Ecco, Paulo Coelho, Pierre Bourdieu…
Then the event became a tradition, migrating, over the years, from Procope to Café de la Paix, from Lutetia to Fouquet’s and to Royal Monceau, to settle permanently, since 2020, in this last Parisian palace on Avenue Nod. Another great constant of these feasts, the presence since 2000 of Amélie Nothomb, who came to celebrate her first bestseller, Stupor and tremors, and who, due to repeated successes, never missed a single one of our meetings – just like his “confidant” the late Jean d’Ormesson, until his death in 2017. That’s because we have a good time, at these lunches between happy writers (and editors) rustling with witticisms and rumors.
On the other hand, it is increasingly difficult to compose table plans. Imagine a cross-marriage between the O’Haras, the O’Timmins, the Jets and the Sharks: in fact, if the writers generally cohabit rather well, many of the invited editors look at each other with stony faces, the sources of recriminations having been increased in recent times, between a game of musical chairs (not always agreed) within large groups and the misappropriation of successful or high-potential authors. So you shouldn’t make a mistake at the risk of displeasing the most susceptible guests – don’t insist, we won’t give names. We will not reveal to you here the winners of the year either (but from February 9 on the site and in our next issue of February 15), except to tell you that Goncourt 2023 and a certain “AN” will participate in the lunch from February 7.
(1) We cannot resist giving you the first “prize list” from L’Express, published in November 1959
The successes of October 1959
Titles Authors
1. The Salvationby Charles de Gaulle
2. The Last of the Righteousby André Schwarz-Bart
3. Do you like Brahmsby Françoise Sagan
4. The Five Day Loverby Françoise Parturier
5. The Pyre of Montségurby Zoé Oldenburg
6. Victory over spaceby Albert Ducrocq
7. Daily life in Greeceby Robert Flacelière
8. The 18th of Brumaireby Albert Ollivier
9. Year V of the Algerian Revolutionby Frantz Fanon
10. In the labyrinthby Alain Robbe-Grillet
Last but not least, this list was established with the collaboration of the following (Parisian) bookstores:
At the Chariot d’or, 14 bis, avenue Bosquet. Cidini, 43, avenue Secrétan. Max Ph. Delatte, 113, rue de la Pompe. Flammarion, 25, boulevard des Italians.
Galignani, 224, rue de Rivoli.
Joy of reading, 40, rue Saint-Séverin.
Julliard, 229, boulevard Saint-Germain.
Raymond Mangaud, 128, boulevard Haussmann.
Robert Marin, 18, boulevard Haussmann.
Librairie de Paris, 7-9-11, place Clichy.
Presses Universitaires de France, 49, boulevard Saint-Michel. Stock, place du Théâtre-Français.
Open letter, 213, rue de la Convention. Tschann, 84, boulevard du Montparnasse.