() is a French magazine published weekly by (), a subsidiary of Hubert Burda Media Holding. It originated in 1925, when created , a publication aimed at crime professionals. The journal was converted into a true crime magazine by and his partners: the brothers and Joseph Kessel, , , , and . was the first weekly magazine dedicated to true crime stories to appear in France.
The first French magazine to use rotogravure printing, it was published on 1 November 1928 and met with immediate success, reaching a circulation of 800,000 copies in 1929. was the first editor-in-chief. ran for eighteen months, and Joseph worked as a journalist until 1931. succeeded Joseph and assembled a team of contributors, the most regular of whom were and . featured fiction, novels, short stories, investigations, reportage, and photographs, while engaging in romanticisation, favouring sensationalism and espousing strong stances. The magazine covered crimes, kidnappings, rapes, and prostitution. has often been criticised, notably by Louis Aragon. went into a steady decline following the 6 February 1934 crisis and began covering political and social issues, while struggled to maintain it financially until its suspension at the outbreak of the Second World War.
It was published as () in 1946 and was acquired by (Beyler group). The drawer then joined the team. In 1958, the magazine reverted to its original name, . The magazine ramped up sensationalism in the 1970s, sparking public outrage in 1978 with questionable articles and an advertising campaign featuring indecent poster headlines, which led to two bans ordered by the Minister of the Interior. In 1979, the magazine's name was changed to .
In 1982, it was renamed , adopted a new graphic charter, and reconnected with the rudiments of investigative journalism. In 1995, acquired from Beyler. The magazine's journalistic methods landed the team in legal problems during the investigation into the murder of Grégory Villemin. is the current editor-in-chief.
History Professional journal In the mid-1920s, the Paris-based detective , also known by the pseudonym " " (HLB), founded his cabinet, the International Detective Company. His cabinet became one of those that played a leading role in enhancing the image and practice of private detective work in a context of exigency for legitimacy.
In 1925, created the periodical , conceived as a "journal aimed at crime professionals". It was modelled on other French police-oriented publications of the time that featured advertisements, criminal information and a series of crime stories. The content of revolved around criminology, police techniques and criminal law. The historian Dominique Kalifa wrote that "the tone was very professional" in . It was presented by as the "organ of the technical Institute of criminology for the study of criminal psychology and means of social defence", under the direction of Paul Watrin.
Project
From 1926 onwards, created a new column about true crime stories in (NRF; ).
sought to ensure that demanding literature would continue to have funding while consolidating his publishing house's established foundations. Thus, based on 's work, had the idea of launching a high-circulation periodical specialising in true crime. In 1927, approached the novelist Joseph Kessel to explain that he wished to sell his publication, as it was costing him too much for a print run of only around a hundred copies. The project for a publication intended to show "the reverse side of the social decor" took root in the minds of Joseph and his brother . Together with Joseph, convinced his boss, who was , to acquire this publication.
, a in French literature and an author, later stated that the "stroke of genius" was "in reality" attributable to , even though Joseph had claimed the original idea. This took place against the backdrop of the success of true crime magazinesoriginally launched in the United States in 1924 with True Detective Mysteriesthat began circulating in Canada and Mexico.
met in June 1928. However, Kalifa and journalist Boris Senff said that the sale occurred in May. became a long-term partner during the early years of the new version of , after leading negotiations for an equity stake in the operation. In October 1928, launched under the patronage of Joseph, , , and .
Conversion of Détective
asked to convert the professional publication into a magazine, and he then created a mockup with his team. After partnering with Hachette for high-volume distribution at railway stations, entrusted to the Kessel brothers. was put in charge of the direction, and Joseph of the editorial side as a journalist. said to : "Do whatever you want with it." The first editor-in-chief of 's was . , which bore the subheading "The major weekly of true crime stories", was published on 1 November 1928. According to author , was the first magazine published in France to use the rotogravure printing process. The first issue had 250,000 copies printed. of said it was an "immediate uccess." Press historian wrote: "The success was meteoric."
continued to contribute by writing long chronicles describing his vocation as a detective until issue number 16 in February 1929. The journalistic accounts were illustrated with photographs of foreign cities like Buenos Aires or Chicago, as well as of murderers and corpses. The magazine depicted the unfolding of a case using snapshots in a photonovel style and featured double-page spreads of photomontages. wrote that the "three essential ingredients" that would make the success of were "photography, investigation, and fiction". In 1929, the circulation of was 800,000 copies. The offices of were located at 35 in Paris.
A friend of Police Prefect and lawyer Henri Torrès, and familiar with the , Joseph was known as a reporter, novelist and man of action; however, he played a less significant role in the magazine's history than did. Joseph frequented the nightclubs of , made friendships with cabaret owners and tough guys, and met gangsters who shared their stories, as well as cocaine dealers, Russian migrants, Cossacks and Tsiganes. The early issues included () by Joseph and illustrated by Germaine Krull, a work among the novels and (short stories) of crime published in .
The serialisation of novels in ceased quickly and was replaced by what was then termed as reality subject to "" (romanticisation; written like a novel). This style employed by the magazine was later described by of as a "" (falsifying) , a claim that , however, qualified. Readers were captivated by fictionalised true crime stories and reportage whose facts stemmed from field investigations. Moreover, the team drew upon the "codes" and techniques of then-popular fiction genres, such as the romance and police novel, as well as the American gangster film. stated that engaged in sensationalism, voyeurism, and "bad taste", and made condemnatory statements, sparking unfavourable criticism from the very beginning. The magazine was managed by for about eighteen months.
Joseph's contribution to lasted until 1931. He was replaced by , who went on to assemble a team of provincial and foreign correspondents as well as staff writers; this group included some of the early contributors: , , , and . Others also wrote for the magazine: , , , , , , and . , Walter Gillett and formed the photography department.
, , and frequented underworld circles and travelled abroad, sharing what they saw with readers, with social issues or crimes taking the form of a "mystery to be solved", echoing the style of a novel. The magazine featured "rigorous" investigations about prostitution and drug networks that were "well-substantiated and free of judgment"albeit blended with scabrous subjects, all illustrated by "shocking photos". 's contributions to became less frequent between 1931 and 1932.
served as editor-in-chief until his death in 1932. Most of the time, an editor and a photographer were assigned to a crime scene, and the journalistswith their image as adventurers or "bad boys"mimicked the police, creating the impression that they could solve the case before the officers did. Kidnappings and rapes were the "raw material" for reporters. The magazine covered criminal cases that occurred in the United States, such as the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby in 1932. In the periodical (), Aragon criticised the magazine for its "exaltation of the cop" and "its Americanism".
In 1933, the subheading changed to "The leading weekly for true crime stories". offered sensationalistic headlines on major criminal cases as well as in-depth reports, such as those concerning the Papin sisters and Violette Nozière. Recurring themes concerning unsafe areas and prostitution were accompanied by testimonies and a moralising rhetoric that aligned with the reactionary stance. While short stories and novels were published from the very beginning, the relationship with factual truth often became nebulous, as works of fiction transformed into authentic reports. was increasingly viewed as of poor quality, characterised by a sensationalism that was sometimes "sordid".
From 1928 to 1933, enjoyed a period of prosperity. The only regular contributors to were Carco and Mac Orlan, who were responsible for major investigations. The magazine featured "journalistic battles" for causes such as the defence of Salengro, the protection of mistreated minors, and the abolition of the bagne and the guillotine.
Decline and wartime
As a consequence of the 6 February 1934 crisis, the French public lost interest in sensational crime stories and turned its attention to politics. This prompted the magazine's staff to shift their focus towards major political cases, such as the Stavisky affair, which was featured in one of s special edition. This topicor the "major social investigations" that became a recurring feature from 1936 onwardsbrought national and everyday issues to the forefront of the magazine. However, as circulation figures fell, Gallimard was driven to cut costs by lowering salaries, reducing reporting expenses, and letting editors and employees go. Meanwhile, the weekly resumed crime short stories and serialised novels.
While s reporters were sent out to cover the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the rise of Nazism in Germany was causing worries to the team. From 1936 onwards, the magazine's success declined. featured headlines such as "The hands of killer ", "Crime without a body", or "The Lyon dismemberer". Social investigations appeared alongside xenophobic and homophobic "ideas". This attitude intensified in the late 1930s, with certain writers also adopting a hard line towards foreigners and offenders. These positions did not reflect the magazine's editorial line, as it was made up of people with mixed political views, noted . Everything became a pretext for publishing sexualised content and images of undressed women.
Despite attempts to reshape it around themes such as anti-Germanism, occultism, and spiritualism around 1939, the magazine was subjected to "clear cuts" by . The circulation of fell to around 250,000 copies in 1939. As tensions with Germany mounted, featured topics about the Gestapo, "war ruses", and spies, while the magazine's front cover gradually adopted a dark tone and a "sinister air". In September 1939, part of the editorial staff was mobilised for the Second World War. Then, the war effort became the main topic of the articles, while many journalists "denounc the danger of immigration", which was part of the atmosphere of the time.