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. After Michel's death in 1875, the firm was renamed ''Calmann Lévy''.« La fulgurante saga familiale des frères Lévy, inventeurs de l’édition moderne »
Noémie Grynberg, ''Israel Magazine'', 2010.

History

In 1836, Michel Lévy (1821–1875) founded the publishing house of Michel Lévy frères. In 1844, his brother Kalmus "Calmann" Lévy (1819–1891) joined the publishing house. After Michel's death in 1875, Calmann became the sole proprietor and the firm was renamed ''Calmann Lévy''. Shortly before his death, he admitted his three sons into a partnership. By 1875, the company was among the foremost publishing houses of Europe. It was the publisher of most of the important French authors of the second half of the 19th century, including Balzac,

Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics, an ...

, René Bazin, Gabriele D'Annunzio, Dumas, Flaubert,

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

Lamartine Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869) was a French author, poet, and statesman. Initially a moderate royalist, he became one of the leading critics of the July Monarchy of Louis-Philippe, aligning more w ...

Ernest Renan Joseph Ernest Renan (; ; 27 February 18232 October 1892) was a French Orientalist and Semitic scholar, writing on Semitic languages and civilizations, historian of religion, philologist, philosopher, biblical scholar, and critic. He wrote wo ...

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. Being more renowned than either Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balz ...

, and

Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, , ), was a French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de Parme'' ('' T ...

. In 1891, it published the memoirs of

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (; ; 2 February 1754 – 17 May 1838), 1st Prince of Benevento, then Prince of Talleyrand, was a French secularization, secularized clergyman, statesman, and leading diplomat. After studying theology, he b ...

, and in 1893, the memoirs of

Alexis de Tocqueville Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville (29 July 180516 April 1859), was a French Aristocracy (class), aristocrat, diplomat, political philosopher, and historian. He is best known for his works ''Democracy in America'' (appearing in t ...

. In 1893, Calmann was succeeded by his sons Georges, Paul, and Gaston, who went on to publish authors including

Anatole France (; born ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters.Pierre Loti Pierre Loti (; pseudonym of Louis Marie-Julien Viaud ; 14 January 1850 – 10 June 1923) was a French naval officer and novelist, known for his exotic novels and short stories.This article is derived largely from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Ele ...

and

Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French language, French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Pas ...

. During Nazi occupation, Gaston Lévy was interned, and the publishing company, run by the

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

, was renamed '' Éditions Balzac'' in 1943. After the liberation, the company was headed by Léon Pioton. Authors edited during the postwar period included:

Arthur Koestler Arthur Koestler (, ; ; ; 5 September 1905 – 1 March 1983) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian-born author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest, and was educated in Austria, apart from his early school years. In 1931, Koestler j ...

Elia Kazan Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...

Anne Frank Annelies Marie Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – February or March 1945)Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new li ...

, and later

Donna Leon Donna Leon (; born September 28, 1942) is the American author of a series of crime novels set in Venice, Italy, featuring the fictional hero Commissario Guido Brunetti. The novels are written in English and have been translated into many forei ...

, Nicolas Hulot,

Patricia Cornwell Patricia Cornwell (born Patricia Carroll Daniels; June 9, 1956) is an American crime writer. She is known for her best-selling novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, of which the first was inspired by a series of sensational murders ...

, Guillaume Musso, among others.

Present day

Since 1993, Calmann-Lévy has been owned by publisher Hachette (which is in turn owned by

Lagardère Group Lagardère S.A. () is an international group with operations in over 40 countries. Based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the group was founded and created in 1992 by Jean-Luc Lagardère under the name Matra, Hachette & Lagardère. Headed ...

Book series

* Action, amour, aventure * Les années du... * Bibliothèque contemporaine * Bibliothèque des voyageurs * Bibliothèque dramatique * Bibliothèque littéraire * Bibliothèque théâtrale * Bibliothèque des chefs-d'ieuvre du roman contemporain * Calmann-Lévy collection * Calmann-Lévy collection nouvelle * Châteaux, décors de l'histoire * Collection bleue * Collection engagements * Collection Hetzel et Lévy * Collection le prisme * Collection les romans de la rose * Collection le zodiaque * Collection masques et visages * Collection Michel Lévy * Collection Nelson: Chefs-d'oeuvre de la littérature * Collection Presses Pocket * Collection roman d'ailleurs * Diaspora * Dimensions SF * Edition du centenaire * E. Guillaume et Cie * Essai société * Collection France de toujours et d'aujourd'hui * L'Heure H * Interstices * Liberté de l'esprit * Le Livre de poche * Médailles d'or * Nouvelle collection historique * Nouvelle collection illustrée * Nouvelle collection Michel Lévy * L'Ordre des choses * Perspectives économiques * Pour nos enfants * Pourpre * Questions d'actualité * Le Romantisme des classiques * Temps & continents * Traduit dese:"Collection: Traduit de."
worldcat.org. Retrieved 9 November 2021.

References

External links

* *
Une Aventure d'éditeurs au XIXe siècle: Michel et Calmann Lévy
' (catalogue), exhibition, 25 April-24 May 1986,

Bibliothèque nationale A library is a collection of books, and possibly other materials and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or digital (soft copies) materials, and may be a p ...

, Paris {{DEFAULTSORT:Calmann-Levy Publishing companies established in 1836 French companies established in 1836 Publishing companies of France Book publishing companies of France French brands French speculative fiction publishers