André Schiffrin
Encyclopedia
André Schiffrin is a European-born American author
, publisher and socialist.
n Jew who emigrated to France
and briefly enjoyed success there as publisher of the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade
, which he founded, and which was bought by Gallimard, until he was dismissed on account of the anti-Jewish laws enforced by the Vichy regime. Jacques Schiffrin and his family had to flee and eventually found refuge in the United States. As the younger Schiffrin recalls in his autobiography, A Political Education: Coming of Age in Paris and New York (2007), he thus experienced life in two countries as a child of a European Jewish intellectual family.
As an anti-Communist socialist Schiffrin opposed both the Soviet invasion of Hungary and the U.S. war in Vietnam. He was one of the founders of the organization that became Students for a Democratic Society
. In 1968, he signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
For nearly 30 years Schiffrin was director of publishing
at Pantheon Books
, where he was partially responsible for introducing the works of Pasternak
, Foucault
and others to America
. Schiffrin quit Pantheon in 1990 and established the nonprofit The New Press
, explaining that he did so because of economic trends that prevented him from publishing the serious books he thought should be published. Schiffrin discusses what he regards as the crisis in western publishing in his book The Business of Books: How the International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read (2000).
Although there exist no English versions of L'édition sans éditeurs or Le contrôle de la parole, there is some overlap of content between The Business of Books and the former.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, publisher and socialist.
Life
Schiffrin is the son of Jacques Schiffrin, a RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Jew who emigrated to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and briefly enjoyed success there as publisher of the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade
Bibliothèque de la Pléiade
The Bibliothèque de la Pléiade is a French series of books which was created in the 1930s by Jacques Schiffrin, an independent young editor. . Schiffrin wanted to provide the public with reference editions of the complete works of classic authors in a pocket format...
, which he founded, and which was bought by Gallimard, until he was dismissed on account of the anti-Jewish laws enforced by the Vichy regime. Jacques Schiffrin and his family had to flee and eventually found refuge in the United States. As the younger Schiffrin recalls in his autobiography, A Political Education: Coming of Age in Paris and New York (2007), he thus experienced life in two countries as a child of a European Jewish intellectual family.
As an anti-Communist socialist Schiffrin opposed both the Soviet invasion of Hungary and the U.S. war in Vietnam. He was one of the founders of the organization that became Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
. In 1968, he signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
For nearly 30 years Schiffrin was director of publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
at Pantheon Books
Pantheon Books
Pantheon Books is an American imprint with editorial independence that is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.The current editor-in-chief at Pantheon Books is Dan Frank.-Overview:...
, where he was partially responsible for introducing the works of Pasternak
Boris Pasternak
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was a Russian language poet, novelist, and literary translator. In his native Russia, Pasternak's anthology My Sister Life, is one of the most influential collections ever published in the Russian language...
, Foucault
Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
and others to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Schiffrin quit Pantheon in 1990 and established the nonprofit The New Press
The New Press
The New Press is a not-for-profit, United States-based publishing house that operates in the public interest. It was established in 1990 as an alternative to large commercial publishers, and is supported financially by various foundations, groups and corporations including the Ford Foundation, the...
, explaining that he did so because of economic trends that prevented him from publishing the serious books he thought should be published. Schiffrin discusses what he regards as the crisis in western publishing in his book The Business of Books: How the International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read (2000).
Works
- L'édition sans éditeurs (1999) ISBN 2913372023
- The Business of Books: How the International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read (2000) ISBN 185984362X (Hardback ISBN 1859847633)
- Le contrôle de la parole (2005) ISBN 291337235X
- A Political Education: Coming of Age in Paris and New York (Melville House PublishingMelville House PublishingMelville House Publishing is an independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 by the husband and wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey, a location Johnson jokingly called "the Left Bank" of New York City...
, 2007) ISBN 1933633158- Published in French as Allers-retours : Paris-New York, un itinéraire politique (2007) ISBN 2867464471
- Published in German Paris, New York und zurück. Politische Lehrjahre eines Verlegers, translated by Andrea Marenzeller; Matthes & Seitz, Berlin 2010 ISBN 978-3-88221-685-1
- L'argent et les mots (2010) ISBN 2358720069
- Words and Money (Verso BooksVerso BooksVerso Books is a publishing house based in London and New York City, founded in 1970 by the staff of New Left Review. The company claims "global sales approaching $3 million per year and over 350 titles in print," possibly making it "the largest radical publisher in the English-language...
, 2010) ISBN 9781844676804
Although there exist no English versions of L'édition sans éditeurs or Le contrôle de la parole, there is some overlap of content between The Business of Books and the former.
External links
- The New Press
- Melville House
- March 28, 2007 interview with Amy Goodman on Democracy Now discussing "A Political Education"
- Interview with David Barsamian September 2003
- RealAudio interview WILL-AM Media Matters, March 18, 2007
- André Schiffrin discusses French and American politics on French radio, aired 19 April 2007 (Real Audio)
- Appearance on French radio to promote A Political Education, aired 1 May 2007 (Real Audio)
- French radio interview with Arnaud Laporte, aired 8 May 2007 (Real Audio)
- French radio interview with Frédéric Bonnaud, aired 8 May 2007 (Real Audio)
- Second appearance on French radio to promote A Political Education, aired 13 May 2007 (Real Audio)