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Guy Sitbon, born Isaac Shetboun[1] on 9 January 1934 in Monastir, Tunisia[citation needed], is a French journalist, writer and businessman, of Tunisian origin.
Guy Sitbon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 January 1934 |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Notable work | Yves et Véronique, Gagou, Le cas Attali, L'Arabe et le Juif |
Biography
editEarly life
editBorn into a relatively well-off Tunisian Jewish family within the small local Jewish community, Sitbon received a religious education but quickly distanced himself from it. In a town connected to the outside world only through Tunisian newspapers, he aspired from a young age to become a journalist. By the age of 13, he became a local correspondent for Tunis-Soir,[2] without his superiors knowing his age. Early on, he supported the Tunisian nationalist cause, which led to his expulsion from every school in the country due to his political sympathies. At 16, influenced by readings such as the Communist Manifesto and his uncle, the deputy secretary-general of the Tunisian Communist Party (PCT), Sitbon joined the Communist movement. Upon enrolling in literature at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Tunis, he officially joined the PCT.
As a proofreader at Afrique-Action and a contributor of small articles, Sitbon got his first experience in Communist-oriented militant journalism, allowing him to meet philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Influenced by leftist critiques of Communism found in Les Temps Modernes, he began to reassess his views. This intellectual shift was catalyzed in 1955 by both Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to Belgrade and the reading of The Opium of the Intellectuals. Nevertheless, he remained a committed Communist and formed a nationalist faction within the party alongside a few Muslim friends.
At La Presse de Tunisie, where he worked as a proofreader, Sitbon met Roger Stéphane and later published articles for France Observateur. Moving to Paris in 1956, while studying political science, he aligned with the Union of Tunisian Students, advocating for the nationalist cause with a Communist slant. However, his Jewish heritage subjected him to personal attacks, forcing him to leave the movement. Despite this, he maintained close ties with the FLN's French branch and identified as an Arab Jew, supportive of Nasserism and Ba'athist socialism.
Career
editIn 1957, Hector de Galard offered him the position of editorial secretary at La NEF, though Sitbon was skeptical of the liberal French figures he encountered. He was soon noticed by Le Monde’s Maghreb correspondent, who tasked him with covering the FLN's establishment in Tunis. From June 1958, Sitbon became the Le Monde correspondent in Tunis, and in 1960, he helped form the "Maghreb Circus" with fellow Western journalists. Sitbon also wrote editorials for La Presse de Tunisie and articles for Jeune Afrique, France Observateur, and Time Magazine. After the Algerian independence, he briefly moved to Algeria in 1962, working for Le Monde and American newspapers like The New York Times. This led to his recruitment by Béchir Ben Yahmed, director of Jeune Afrique, to cover North and sub-Saharan Africa.
Upon returning to Paris in 1964, Sitbon joined L'Express’ foreign service, thanks to his friend Claude Krief.
At Le Nouvel Observateur
editSitbon participated in preparatory meetings with France Observateur, despite being doubtful about its revival. In January 1965, he joined Le Nouvel Observateur as commercial director and became editor-in-chief of Le Nouvel Adam in 1966. However, his title there was largely symbolic, and he soon resigned from Le Nouvel Obs to found Le Magazine Littéraire[3] He managed this publication until 1970, after which he sold it and spent nearly a year living in a Danish commune.
During this time, he published a major report on free love (September 1969). Financial necessity led him back to Le Nouvel Observateur as a reporter in April 1972, despite Jean Daniel’s lack of enthusiasm. Sitbon wrote on societal issues, such as French sexual behavior and Vincennes University’s sexology course,[4] and covered sensational cases like the 1972 Bruay-en-Artois affair, where he controversially maintained that notary Pierre Leroy was guilty, even after his release.[5] His views on the Israeli-Arab conflict also clashed with Le Nouvel Observateur's editorial line, given his pro-Arab stance.[6]
Sitbon's sympathy for the Arab cause was evident during the 1972 Munich massacre, where he expressed understanding of Palestinian violence as a means to push Israel toward becoming part of a secular, democratic Arab state. His 1973 coverage of the Yom Kippur War was deemed too pro-Arab by Jean Daniel, who assigned Hervé Chabalier to balance Sitbon's positions.
Focusing largely on North Africa, Sitbon undertook several reporting trips to Morocco and interviewed Colonel Gaddafi in 1973. He also covered political interviews and topics like Corsican autonomy and participated in debates about the Third World and the left. Sitbon rejected the anti-state critique emerging in Third World countries, emphasizing the need for statehood to preserve language, culture, and nationhood. His stance led to a biting critique of the New Philosophers, one of whose works he had censored.
In 1980, Sitbon published Gagou, an autobiographical novel about the changing identity of Tunisian Jews and the shattered hopes of those striving for a fraternal society beyond nationalism.
In 1982, he succeeded Franz-Olivier Giesbert as Le Nouvel Observateur's U.S. correspondent.
Erotic Publications and Sex Hotlines
editDuring his time in the U.S., Sitbon became interested in the sexology magazine Forum, which inspired him to launch Lettres-magazine in March 1984, featuring readers' fantasies. The magazine reached 80,000 copies[7] by the end of the year, and Sitbon later launched a female-targeted version, Lettres de femmes, which also reached 80,000 copies. He expanded into erotic hotlines, making a fortune in the process.[7]
Avoiding public appearances, Sitbon allowed his son Michel and second wife Lidia Darras to manage the official responsibilities of his businesses.[7] However, in the summer of 1985, his involvement in the pornographic industry became public, leading him to take a leave of absence from Le Nouvel Observateur. He nevertheless continued to publish occasional literary reviews and societal articles, and for the 1988 French presidential election, he launched Le Journal de Tonton, a satirical newspaper supporting François Mitterrand.[8]
Return to Journalism
editFrom 1990 to 1995, Sitbon was Le Nouvel Observateur's correspondent in Moscow, where he covered the collapse of Communism and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Since 1998, he has been a columnist and administrator at the weekly Marianne.
Publications
edit- Yves et Véronique, Éditions Grasset
- Gagou, Éditions Grasset
- Le cas Attali, Éditions Grasset
- L'Arabe et le Juif (with Hamid Barrada), Éditions Plon
- Cécile Duflot, Apartés, Volumen Dummy, 2010
References
edit- ^ Hamid Barrada et Guy Sitbon, Le Juif et l'Arabe : Dialogues de guerre, Plon 2004, p. 184
- ^ Entretien de Guy Sitbon avec Charles Meirovici, Presse-Actualité, no 410, novembre 1979, p. 42-45
- ^ Jean-Jacques Brochier, Pour l'amour des livres: Entretiens avec Nadine Sautel, Albin Michel, 2005, 250 p. (ISBN 978-2226156983), p. 53 ainsi que « Petite histoire du Magazine littéraire » dans 40 ans de littérature, Le Magazine littéraire, no 459, décembre 2006..
- ^ https://referentiel.nouvelobs.com/archives_pdf/OBS0534_19750203/OBS0534_19750203_035.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ https://referentiel.nouvelobs.com/archives_pdf/OBS0536_19750217/OBS0536_19750217_036.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ https://referentiel.nouvelobs.com/archives_pdf/OBS0402_19720724/OBS0402_19720724_026.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b c Daniel Haddad, L'industrie du sexe, Hermé, 1992, 215 p. (ISBN 978-2866651565), p. 30 et suiv.
- ^ Le Matin, 25 juillet 1985, cité par Emmanuel Ratier, Les chrétiens de gauche, Faits et documents, 1998, 300 p. (ISBN 978-2909769073) p. 244.