Through the personage of Jean-Marc Roberts, the noted publisher, whose assistant she was for 15 years, Capucine Ruat, paints the portrait of a publishing house – a heart that beats to the tempo of its writers – and the house’s incarnation, The Publisher, ten years after his death. At once an intimate and unusual personal portrait of several people who left their mark on French literally publishing (including, most notably, Jean Cayrol), a deep exploration of the singular relationship woven between a publisher and his writers, and an X-ray of the creative process all the way through to a novel’s publication. A touching style, imbued with great delicacy, for a highly insightful text.

Through this intimate portrait of Jean-Marc Roberts, the iconic head of Editions Stock, who died 10 years ago this year, Capucine Ruat, a publisher alongside him for fifteen years, and a novelist, portrays old-school publishing with a unique passion. What goes on behind the scenes in literary publishing has never been told in such a lively way before.