Bolloré's takeover of Grasset: 'Bookshops now serve as sentinels of resistance to the radical rightward shift of society'

Christian Thorel, founder of the Ombres blanches bookshop, in Toulouse, January 19, 2021. LYDIE LECARPENTIER/REA

Christian Thorel was the first among France's literary circles to warn about French billionaire Vincent Bolloré's ideological influence after his 2023 takeover of France's largest publishing group Hachette.

Thorel is a co-shareholder and editorial adviser at the Toulouse bookshop Ombres blanches ("White Shadows"), where he worked for over 40 years, helping it to become France's second-largest independent bookshop with a collection of 150,000 titles, more than 300 literary events a year and 150 new titles added daily.

In an interview with Le Monde, the influential bookseller discusses Bolloré's latest show of force.

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