Hara-kiri (newspaper)

See also: Hara-kiri

The Magazine Hara-Kiri was created on the initiative of François Cavanna and the Professor Choron inter alia. This satirical newspaper of cynical tendency, sometimes grivoise, profited from a discrete support televised on behalf of the realizer Jean-Christophe Averty (whose emission the green grapes took part of the same spirit) and was a relatively important success in France, with the history rich in radiophonic publicities provocantes (“If you cannot buy it, steal it”) and intersected with some prohibitions. The magazine is initially sold by hawking on the pavements to land in the kiosks at the end of the same year.

An irritated letter arrives one day at the letters to the Editor, which say in substance: “you are animals. And not only you are animals, but you are malicious”. The subtitle of the magazine is immediately adopted: “Hara-kiri, stupid and malicious newspaper”. In each number, the professor Choron (the seat is with 4 rue Choron) will propose the stupid and malicious play of the month.

History

  • September 1960: Creation of the magazine Hara-kiri, monthly magazine. It will be prohibited twice, in 1961 then in 1966.
  • February 1969: Hara-kiri creates, without removing monthly magazine, a weekly magazine which it names then Hara-Kiri Hebdo . Cavanna indicates to it in its leading article that the goal is better to stick to the topicality and that the newspaper failed to name Vite made, quickly read or Hara-Kiri quickly made . The newspaper is on sale in kiosk (and sometimes even by hawking, boulevard Saint Michel. Perhaps to run out a number prohibited with the sale in kiosk either in 1969, or 1970) for 1 franc, modest price which will contribute besides to its success. This first number shows the already famous small catch of Wolinski esclaffer by quoting various subjects, of which “hung of Baghdad”.
  • May 1969: The newspaper changes name to become the hebdo Hara-Kiri .

Cavanna tells the history of the newspaper in all the second part of its book Bête and malicious .

Prohibition of the hebdo

In November 1970, the hebdo Hara-Kiri leaves with for cover: “Tragic Ball with Colombey: 1 died” following the death of the general de Gaulle.

This choice of title referred to a fact various of November 1st of the same year: the fire of a dance hall, the “Cinq-Sept”, with Saint-Laurent-du-Pont (Isere) where 146 people died. This fact various had been the previous week rebattu by a press more concerned about spectacle than of information. It unanimously employed the term of taken again “tragic ball” in a parodic way by Hara-Kiri.

A rumor wants that the Minister of Interior Department of the time, Raymond Marcellin, then prohibited the publication of the newspaper. Another, more skeptic on the real response times of the ministries, wants that the procedure of prohibition, already in progress, simply succeeded coincidentally this week. Always is it that this number will be the last, in this form all at least…

The immediate changing

One week later is launched Charlie Hebdo. The Charlie first name in the title would be a reference to Charles de Gaulle according to Georges Wolinski (cf the Echo of Savannas n° 239). In fact, the Éditions of the Public garden published a monthly magazine of cartoons then named Charlie and whose editor association was Wolinski. However it is noticed that:

  • the first numbers of Charlie Hebdo contain cartoons (and precisely Charlie Brown in the Peanuts) on a page at bottom of color, as to announce all in all that they are added again to the newspaper.

The newspaper draws a comedy party situation:

  • “Like had announced it our unhappy fellow-member the hebdo Hara-Kiri, of which we deplore disappearance”
  • “Hebdo Hara-Kiri died. Read Charlie Hebdo, the newspaper which benefits from the misfortune of the others”

The headings are renamed in order to remain perfectly identifiable. Thus “I did not read it, I did not see it, but I intended some to cause” becomes “If it is not true, I am a liar”. Some are not even it like “Mondays of Delfeil de Ton” or “the little place of the culture” of same.

The humor of Charlie Hebdo will not be taste of everyone, especially of the spirits functioning with the first degree. At the time of the surprised visit of the Egyptian president Anouar el-Sadate with Tel-Aviv, its cover mentions the meeting in slang terms which will be worth to him a lawsuit brought by an organization antiracist. The positions well-known and largely posted antiracists Charlie Hebdo, like some prestigious testimonys, will make débouter the request. The covers of Charlie Hebdo are then if grinçantes that the newspaper publishes in premium all those which were considered , always disrespectful, often very funny, in the newspaper, in small size.

The come to power of the left in 1981, joint with little thing close to that of Siné in the newspaper, seems to have been fatal with Charlie Hebdo first manner, which disappears in 1982 due to irregularity to the sales. Irony of fate: the first numbers of the newspaper said: “You can subscribe, but one would not like better because that obliges us with you to send it”.

Charlie Hebdo reappears in 1992, under the direction of Philippe Val.

A last-ditch struggle will however have been carried out as a preliminary: “Charlie morning”, daily newspaper which upon the departure had been designed to last only three numbers… and to cause a media beating with its creation as with its stop of publication.

Monthly hara-kiri

Until in 1986 will continue to appear. One finds there all the collaborators of the weekly magazine (including Delfeil de Ton which had left the hedomadaire in 1975). Before gardist, Hara-Kiri opens his pages regularly with authors or draftsmen non conformist, with absurd humor, black or outrageous, often rejected by the other publications or quite simply unpublishable at the time. The diversions salaces of publicities or masterpieces will make the glory of the newspaper, which multiplied images and photographs in pornographic matter but under cover of derision, following the example the Echo of savannas.

The newspaper will have been very innovating, benefitting from the space of freedom which the troop had always révé. One can see the first newspaper with the gift gadget, the first diversions photographs,…

The title was the property of Georges Bernier (professor Choron). This one, feeling wrongly or rightly betrayed by the creation of the " Charlie-Hebdo" new manner - which did not propose a station to him with its suitability -, and followed by Vuillemin, tried its own adventure with a weekly Hara-kiri which will last only a few weeks. It in the final analysis sells the Hara-Kiri title to external purchasers who will quickly lead the magazine to the bankruptcy.

Participants

See too

External bonds

  • Covers of monthly Hara-kiri & hebdo
  • Collection Hara-kiri

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