French publisher pulls books by writer accused of underage rape
Written by Lindah Nduwumwami on January 10, 2020
French publisher Gallimard said Tuesday it was halting sales of books by a writer accused of raping children. France’s most prestigious publishing house told AFP it was the first time in its 140-year history that it had taken such a radical step. Award-winning essayist Gabriel Matzneff is under police investigation after a leading French editor detailed in print how he seduced her when she was 14. Gallimard said they were recalling all the journals the 83-year-old had written under its imprint since 1990. The last, “The Lover at the Arsenal”, came out in November. Amazon has also reportedly withdrawn the Kindle version of one Matzneff’s most notorious works, “Les Moins de Seize Ans” (The Under 16s), after sales exploded online after the scandal broke. The dramatic moves come a day after French culture minister Franck Riester said the writer should lose a special state pension.
