Michel Lévy (1821–1875) was the founder of the
Michel Lévy Frères
Michel Lévy Frères is a Parisian publishing house founded in 1836 by Michel Lévy with his brothers Nathan and Kalmus. Michel served as publisher until his death in 1875.
Michel Lévy Frères published such authors as Honoré de Balzac, Gustav ...
publishing house.
Biography
Born in
Phalsbourg, he was the son of a ''
colporteur
Colportage is the distribution of publications, books, and religious tracts by carriers called "colporteurs" or "colporters". The term does not necessarily refer to religious book peddling.
Etymology
From French , where the term is an alterat ...
'' (a peddler of printed publications).
In 1836, aged fifteen, he opened a reading cabinet and a "theatrical library" in Paris, rue Marie-Stuart, under the name ''Michel Lévy frères'', but at first acting alone. In 1842 he moved the business to
Passage du Grand-Cerf
Passage, The Passage or Le Passage may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''Passage'' (2008 film), a documentary about Arctic explorers
* ''Passage'' (2009 film), a short movie about three sisters
* ''The Passage'' (1979 film), starring ...
.
In 1845, he did involve his brothers, Calmann and Nathan. Nathan would retire from the business in 1850.
He edited various dramatic works, including collections such as ''la bibliothèque dramatique'', ''le théâtre contemporain illustré'', and most notably the successful collection ''Michel Lévy'' in 1856. Financial success allowed him to open a grand book-store at rue Auber.
The Lévy brothers published most of the important French authors of the second half of the 19th century, including
Dumas,
Balzac,
Hugo
Hugo or HUGO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese
* Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback
* Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...
,
Sand,
Flaubert, Baudelaire, Stendhal, and Nerval.
The brothers also entered the flourishing periodical market, publishing magazines such as ''
L'Entracte,
L'Univers illustré
''L'Univers'' was a nineteenth-century French Roman Catholic daily newspaper that took a strongly ultramontane position. It was edited by Louis Veuillot
Louis Veuillot (11 October 1813 – 7 March 1883) was a French journalist, author and ...
,
Le Journal du jeudi'' and ''
Le Journal du dimanche''. Lévy was decorated with the
légion d'Honneur in 1873, and he died unexpectedly on 4 May 1875.
George Sand wrote his obituary in the 15 May edition of ''L'Univers illustré''.
The business was continued by his brother Calmann, as ''
Calmann-Lévy
Calmann-Lévy is a French publishing house founded in 1836 by Michel Lévy as ''Michel Lévy frères''. His brother Kalmus Calmann Lévy joined in 1844, and the firm was renamed ''Calmann Lévy'' in 1875 after Michel's death.[Jean-Yves Mollier
Jean-Yves Mollier (born 5 November 1947) is a French contemporary history teacher.
Biography
Mollier is teacher at the Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University. He is specialized in the history of publishing.
He has dedicated his docto ...]
, ''
Gustave Flaubert et Michel Lévy, un couple explosif'', Calmann-Lévy, 2021.
External links
*
georgesand.culture.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Michel
1821 births
1875 deaths
French publishers (people)
19th-century French businesspeople