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TheMercure de France (French pronunciation:[mɛʁkyʁdəfʁɑ̃s]) was originally a French gazette andliterary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of theÉditions Gallimard publishing group.
The gazette was published from 1672 to 1724 (with an interruption in 1674–1677) under the titleMercure galant (sometimes spelledMercure gallant; 1672–1674) andNouveau Mercure galant (1677–1724). The title was changed toMercure de France in 1724. The gazette was briefly suppressed (underNapoleon) from 1811 to 1815 and ceased publication in 1825. The name was revived in 1890 for both a literary review and (in 1894) a publishing house initially linked with thesymbolist movement. Since 1995Mercure de France has been part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group.
TheMercure galant was founded by the writerJean Donneau de Visé in 1672. He directed the publication until his death in 1710.[1] The name refers to the godMercury, the messenger of the gods; the title also echos theMercure françoys which was France's first literary gazette, founded in 1611 by the Paris bookseller J. Richer.
The magazine's goal was to inform elegant society about life in the court and intellectual/artistic debates; the gazette (which appeared irregularly) featured poems, anecdotes, news (marriages, gossip), theatre and art reviews, songs, and fashion reviews, and it became fashionable (and sometimes scandalous) to be mentioned in its pages. Publication stopped in 1674, but began again as a monthly with the nameNouveau Mercure galant in 1677.
TheMercure galant was a significant development in the history of journalism (it was the first gazette to report on the fashion world[2] and played a pivotal role in the dissemination of news about fashion,luxury goods, etiquette and court life underLouis XIV to the provinces and abroad. The newspaper published propaganda intended to bolster Louis XIV and promote his domestic and foreign policies.[1] In the 1670s, articles on the new season's fashions were also accompanied with engravings.[3] The August 1697 edition contains a detailed description of a popular new puzzle, now known aspeg solitaire. This article is the earliest known reference to peg solitaire.
The gazette was frequently denigrated by authors of the period. The nameMercure galant was used by the playwrightEdmé Boursault for one of his plays critical of social pretensions; when Donneau de Visé complained, Boursault retitled his playComédie sans titre (Play without a title).
The gazette played an important role in the "Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns", a debate on whether the arts and literature of the 17th century had achieved more than the illustrious writers and artists of antiquity, which would last until the beginning of the eighteenth century.Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle and theMercure galant joined the "Moderns".Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux was pushed into the role of champion of the "Anciens", andJean Racine,Jean de La Fontaine andJean de La Bruyère (who is famous for a jibe against the gazette: "le Mercure... est immédiatement au dessous de rien" ["theMercure... is immediately below nothing"]) took his defense.
The periodical eventually became a financial success and it brought Donneau de Visé comfortable revenues. TheMercure de France became the uncontested arbiter of French arts and humanities, and it has been called the most important literary journal in prerevolutionary France.[4]
Thomas Corneille was a frequent contributor to the gazette. TheMercure continued to be published after Donneau de Visé's death in 1710. In 1724 its title was changed toMercure de France and it developed a semi-official character with a governmentally appointed editor (profits were invested into pensions for writers).Jean-François de la Harpe was the editor in chief for 20 years; he also collaborated withJacques Mallet du Pan. Other significant editors and contributors include:Marmontel,Raynal,Chamfort andVoltaire.
It is on the pages of the May 1734 issue of theMercure de France that the term "Baroque" makes its first attested appearance – used (in pejorative way) in an anonymous, satirical review ofJean-Philippe Rameau’sHippolyte et Aricie.
Right before the revolution, management was handed over toCharles-Joseph Panckoucke. During the revolutionary era, the title was changed briefly toLe Mercure français.Napoleon stopped its publication in 1811, but the review was resurrected in 1815. The review was last published in 1825.
| Parent company | Éditions Gallimard |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1890 |
| Founder | Alfred Vallette |
| Country of origin | France |
| Headquarters location | Paris |
| Publication types | Books |
| Official website | www |
At the end of the 19th century, the nameMercure de France was revived byAlfred Vallette. Vallette was closely linked to a group of writers associated withSymbolism who regularly met at the caféla Mère Clarisse inParis (rue Jacob), and which included:Jean Moréas,Ernest Raynaud,Paul Arène,Remy de Gourmont,Alfred Jarry,Albert Samain andCharles Cros. The first edition of the review appeared on January 1, 1890.
Over the next decade, the review achieved critical success, and poets such asStéphane Mallarmé andJosé-Maria de Heredia published original works in it. The review became bimonthly in 1905.
In 1889, Alfred Vallette married the novelistRachilde whose novelMonsieur Vénus was condemned on moral grounds. Rachilde was a member of the editorial committee of the review until 1924 and her personality and works did much to publicize the review. Rachilde held asalon on Tuesdays, and these "mardis du Mercure" would become famous for the authors who attended.
Like other reviews of the period, theMercure also began to publish books (beginning in 1894). Along with works by symbolists, theMercure brought out the first French translations ofFriedrich Nietzsche, the first works ofAndré Gide,Paul Claudel,Colette andGuillaume Apollinaire and the poems ofTristan Klingsor. Later publications include works by:Henri Michaux,Pierre Reverdy,Pierre-Jean Jouve,Louis-René des Forêts,Pierre Klossowski,André du Bouchet,Georges Séféris,Eugène Ionesco andYves Bonnefoy.
With the death of Vallette in 1935, the management was taken over byGeorges Duhamel (who had been editing the review since 1912). In 1938, because of Duhamel's anti-war stance, he was replaced byJacques Antoine Bernard (in 1945, Bernard would be arrested and condemned for collaboration with the Germans). After the war, Duhamel (who was majority stockholder of the publishing house) appointed Paul Hartmann, who had participated in the resistance and clandestine publishing during the war, to run the review.
In 1958, theÉditions Gallimard publishing group bought theMercure de France andSimone Gallimard was chosen as its director. In 1995,Isabelle Gallimard took over direction of the publishing house.
Mercure de France has won awards with the following authors:
The bulk of this article is based on the French Wikipedia article, which is itself taken from the history page of the website of the Mercure de France (see external links). Additional information based on:
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