Apostrophes

Apostrophes was a literary television program French created and animated by Bernard Pivot each Friday evening with 21:30 on Antenne 2 between the January 10th 1975 and June 22nd 1990.

Principle of the emission

The emission consisted of the presentation of Romance S and tests by their authors and the organizer like in a debate. Some Great Talks introduce a little variety into the formula.

She knew a few strong moments, giving him a great media impact:

the Great Talks which had to the small screen personalities then little known of the general public but devoted by their pars (Claude Lévi-Strauss, Georges Dumézil, Jorge-Shine Borges…). Pivot then forsook the usual studio of Apostrophes (there were three in fifteen years of them) and the framework of the emission-debate for a more intimate and simpler formula. The constraints of realization were larger there (the exiguity of the places makes difficult the dollies and others field-against fields whose Apostrophes was fond of delicacies) but the emission gained in cultural legitimacy (near the cultural institutions that it clarifies, of the public authorities, the direction of Antenna 2) what it lost in spontaneousness (these Great Talks were diffused remotely whereas the direct one at Pivot usually represents a major asset since it prevents any censure). As an enthusiastic reader, Pivot did not have its similar to clarify the aspects most accessible and gravitational from a work. The famous guest, put in confidence by questions almost banal but stated about a courteous tone and a respect not pretends, could then allure his public by the velvet of his voice, his silences, the outstanding episodes of his life, the changing reliefs of his work.
1983 : Panning of Maria-Antonietta Macciocchi ( Of China ) by Simon Leys ( Chinese Shades ): It is normal that the imbeciles utter imbecillities as the apple trees produce apples, but me which saw each day since my window the Yellow River carting corpses, I cannot accept this idyllic presentation by Madam of the Cultural revolution. As of the shortly after the emission, the sales of the book of Maria Antonietta Macciochi crumble and its singularly tarnished prestige. A " Apostrophes" effect; with wrong way of that discounted…
1982-1983: Discusses between Bernard Pivot and Régis Debray. Governed Debray, then to advise of the Prince (in fact, François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic) denounces the ascending one taken by Apostrophes on the intellectual life in France. Bernard Pivot, who then thought of stopping the emission, after some signs of lassitude, counter-attacks and decides to continue the adventure. 1983 correspond to the apogee of Apostrophes in term of audience (with market shares exceeding the 12% televiewers in its time slot) but also to that of Antenna 2 (become this year the television channel most looked at France in front of TF1).
September 22nd 1978: sharp exchange between Cavanna and Charles Bukowski, drunk died, which will leave the plate while staggering after having cherished the knee of Catherine Paysan.
Bernard Pivot ensuring that Paul-Loup Sulitzer would not be the author of its own books.
Physical aggression of Marc-Edouard Nabe by Georges-Marc Benamou at the time of the cocktail following an emission (1985).
Argument between Pierre Guyotat and Benoite Groult. (1980). Dispute between Francoise Renaudot and Elisabeth Badinter (1980).

The device of the emission is not as fixed as it does not appear to with it: during the first numbers, it have at its sides Gilles Lapouge, chronicler of Open the Quotation marks , presents only the literary emission thereafter, which in oneself, breaks with the tradition established of the producers surrounded by its chroniclers. Tie left the ideological oppositions of the cold war, it organizes sharp debates which prolong the action undertaken by him since 1973: reception of intellectuals Soviet dissenting on television French (like Soljenitsyne), put in minority of intellectuals committed (as Sartre discredited during the emission which is devoted to him following its death in 1980), primacy granted to the " New intellectuels" (around Bernard-Henri Levy). Basing its success on the meeting between the societal debates and the literature open to the greatest number, Pivot offers to personalities a support of good quality. February 10th, 1975, François Mitterrand surprises his audience by the quality of his readings and his literary vein. Valery Giscard d'Estaing invited in 1979 will not have same happiness. In addition to, the traditional debate, Apostrophes devotes " very early; Large Entretiens" with the figures of the literary world that Pivot wishes to distinguish, such Vladimir Nabokov since 1975.

Apostrophes was replaced by Culture medium , produced by Bernard Pivot, on January 12th 1991.

Specificity d'" Apostrophes" as a cultural mediator

The successful experience of Bernard Pivot with " Open the guillemets" , fame acquired like literary criticism " with the Barber littéraire" show in Bernard Pivot a rare conjunction: that of a very good reader and a man of television to the mounting of the most carrying devices (single presenter, societal debates or policies, increase in publicity on television). The Pivot effect lies initially in the appreciation granted to the work presented to " Apostrophes". A honourable service of the author associated with a beautiful installation in the ray " Apostrophes" often cause a spectacular increase with the great joy of the professionals of the book but with the prejudice of certain intellectuals (like Régis Debray even Pierre Bourdieu, rolled by Fernand Braudel on December 21st, 1979) and writers (Julien Gracq will always refuse to appear on the plate d'" Apostrophes").

In addition to its longevity, variety of its guests, the schools which it revealed (" Histoire" news; , " New intellectuels" …), " Apostrophes" especially coincided with a cultural clearing: relay of the cultural Diplomacy French, it is envied by the New Yorkean intelligentsia which follows as of the middle of the years 1980 its retransmission via the cable. The Americans appear in good place among the guests of Pivot (Susan Sontag, Norman Mailer, Robert Darnton), broken with the rules of the exercise televisual and admiring of the cultural mediation ensured by the small screen.

In a sense, " Apostrophes" take part of " the exception culturelle" Frenchwoman and incarnates an original form of resistance to the progression of commercial television during the years 1980.

Some bibliographical references

" Literature and télévision" , Files of audio-visual the , n° January 29th, th and th - February 1990.

BRASEY Edouard, the effect Pivot , Paris, Ramsay, 1987.

JEANNENEY Jean-Christmas, the Echo of the century. Dictionary of radio-television , Paris, Hatchet Literatures, 1996. A bible of audio-visual carried out by a collective of researchers under the aegis of the current president of the BNF, rapporteur of the bill on the registration of copyright of the image animated in 1992 and one of pioneers of the history of the media in France. You defer, inter alia with the note devoted to Bernard Pivot and the short synthesis carried out by Yannick Dehée on the literary magazines on television.

RIEFFEL Rémy, the tribe of the clerks. Intellectuals under Ve République , Paris, CNRS Editions, 1993.

WINOCK Michel, JULLIARD Jacques, Dictionary of the French intellectuals , Paris, the Threshold, 1998. Among the many articles, you defer to that written by Jerome Bumblebee and entitled: " Television: emissions littéraires".

PIVOT Bernard, the trade of reading. Answers to Pierre Nora: apostrophes with Culture medium , Paris, Gallimard, coll." Folio" , 2001.

An article of Michel Trebitsch available on line: TREBITSCH Michel, " intellectuals with the micro". http://www.ihtp.cnrs.fr/spip.php?article236&lang=fr Thesis of modern history in progress (2003 -): DELARUE Frederic, intellectuals and television: literary emissions on television French of the origins at our days (UVSQ).

Apostrophes on the site of the INA

All the emissions of Apostrophes can be viewed on the site of the INA. The first ten minutes are free. The whole emission can be bought and downloaded at a cost of approximately 5 euros.

Bande Announces
Intégrale Apostrophes and file on the emission

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