The publishing house is her. She is not alone, but the house bears her name, and Sabine Wespieser claims her paw at every moment. From reading manuscripts to accompanying authors in radio studios, to visiting booksellers, she is the head of the house. This does not prevent a warm availability: the frank smile, the sparkling look behind the lock, she savors each encounter. And in the cacophony of the big houses, the independent publisher plays her little music with talent. Since twenty years.
work the language
Born in 1961 in Eschentzwiller, in Alsace, the teenager reads a lot, and the student in classics passes the Capes. She likes to transmit, Greek and Latin, but is quickly discouraged by the immobility of the National Education, this mastodon. Sabine Wespieser especially needs to work on the language, to measure herself against the texts.
Entering as an assistant at Actes Sud editions will be her way out. And the opportunity to learn all about the trade, in the tutelary shadow of the benevolent Hubert Nyssen. But the Arles house is overtaken by the demands of the market. “After fifteen great years, I wanted to publish less, to escape this logic of growth. » In “his” house, only ten titles are published each year.
Totally independent
“Reading is my life”, says Sabine Wespieser. So why not give it to read? With the support of her husband, Jacques Leenhardt, sociologist and art critic, the adventure began in 2001. The company was brought to the baptismal font on… September 11th. But the real birth of the house is the launch, in the fall of 2002, of the first three books. The Heathers of Béconby Robert Belleret, is number 1, followed by Vincent Borel and Diane Meur.
“I saw this house being built, emphasizes Michèle Lesbre who, next February, will publish The Furioushis fourteenth text with Sabine Wespieser. We feel expected, she accompanies each of the authors, and above all, she is totally independent, not under pressure from anyone. » It is still said that she works in the old fashioned way, that she does not concede anything to the fashion of the day… With sometimes difficult years. Far from selling subjects, it is a question of contagious enthusiasm, often in resonance with rebellious and resistant women. “In fact, I don’t seek, I find. »
The 215 or so books in the catalog are all presented with this elegant sepia cover, which is the identity of the house, chic and sober, created by Isabelle Mariana. “The book object must arouse the desire of the text”completes the editor, faithful to the Paillart company, printer in Abbeville (Somme) since 1839. A factory of beauty at the service of carefully chosen texts, in a sort of coherent eclecticism, bringing together authors as diverse as Jean Mattern or the Irish Edna O’Brien, Tiffany Tavernier or the Haitian Louis-Philippe Dalembert. “I imagine that the catalog looks like me”recognizes Sabine Wespieser, who seeks a subtle balance between form and substance. “What makes a text jump out at me? It’s writing first and foremost. »
What happened with the stunning text of His favorite, first novel by Sarah Jollien-Fardel, Fnac prize from the start of the 2022 school year, and first “Goncourt Prize for prisoners” won in December. Such a success requires support from the author: “The promo period is violent”crossing with the unfailing support of booksellers. “Every book in his house has something preciousexplains Maya Flandin, from the Vivement Dimanche bookstore in Lyon. She’s really someone in whom we have complete confidence, she has a real editorial line. »
A family spirit
A commitment on all fronts that it assumes, while giving priority to the work of edition. “I’m up early, it’s the only time not to be interrupted. After 10 hours, we no longer have a free spirit”, says Sabine Wespieser, who, from time to time, takes refuge in her Provencal house. In Paris, she only has to cross a corridor to go from her home to her office. And the passing author lives in a small apartment upstairs.
“We all know each other, rejoices Michèle Lesbre. She introduces the newcomers to the authors whom she brings together regularly. » A family spirit, in a way, while everyone is impressed by their work force. How does she hold up? “She has a smile, the energy, she is a hard workerinsists the novelist. She is driven by passion. »
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ten books a year
May 24, 1961. Born in Eschentzwiller (Haut-Rhin).
1986. Classic letters capes.
1988. Assistant then editor at Actes Sud.
September 11, 2001. Creation of the publishing house “Sabine Wespieser Éditeur”.
Autumn 2002 literary re-entry. Publication of the first three novels.
2006. Foreign Femina Award for The History of Chicago Mayof Nuala O’Faolain.
2007.The red sofaby Michèle Lesbre, finalist for the Goncourt prize.
2014. Femina Prize for moon bathby Yanick Lahens.
January 2023 literary start with four titles: in January, Full and sweetby Camille Froidevaux-Metterie; The Raptures de Jan Carson; The FuriousMichèle Lesbre, in February; There will be no bloodshedby Marilyne Desbiolles, in March.