Founder of the publishing house L’Iconoclaste, Sophie de Sivry died on May 31 in Paris, at the age of 64, after eighteen months of fighting cancer, the violence of which never deterred her from her professional mission, since she continued to support her authors with uncommon energy and fervor.
She was born in Lille on June 16, 1958, the last-born of four siblings in a family involved in the textile industry. From his early childhood, the family moved to Paris. She only freed herself from a wise and conformist adolescence when she enrolled in hypokhâgne then in khâgne, at the Condorcet high school. The Ecole Normale Supérieure in Fontenay, where she made lasting friendships, seems to have destined her for teaching. Sophie de Sivry, however, does not intend to follow this path. His passion for painting made him consider a career in the fine arts instead; she is also preparing for the museum curator competition. But failure is tough. The young woman takes six months to recover, when she replaces Flammarion editions, beautiful books sector.
It is then that she will discover that her place is where the dialogue of images and words is played out. This love at first sight for the illustrated edition, she saw it with Robert Laffont, assistant to Laurent, the son of the editor in charge of fine books. The work in co-edition with the National Library captivated her and, from the publication of La Mémoire de l’encre (1991), which she piloted, we measured the impeccable rigor and scientific precision that would preside over the projects she would henceforth launch. .
The choice of name is equivalent to program
At that time, Sophie met Laurent Beccaria. The couple will now live a double editorial adventure where each remains in control of their options since both elect their own address: for Laurent Les Arènes, for Sophie L’Iconoclaste, house founded in 1997. The choice of name is worth program . We can not respect the sacred, get rid of icons, in a word, see and think free. While sticking to the learning acquired in the houses she frequented. And the new editor then clarified: “We have chosen rarity. Publish few titles but very successful objects both in terms of text and production. We cultivate an artisanal approach to the profession while using contemporary instruments so that the book reaches the reader. »
This is followed by magnificent works: Memoirs of the World. Five centuries of untold and secret stories at the Quai d’Orsay (2001), Aventuriers du monde. The great French explorers at the time of the first photographers, 1866-1914 (2003), L’Herbier du monde. Five centuries of botanical adventures and passions at the Natural History Museum (2004), then Memoirs of the Sea. Five centuries of treasures and adventures (2005). So many events at the end of each year.
At the same time, Sophie de Sivry compiles a catalog where each author is chosen, supported, carried even by this empathy and this sincerity which allow each one to accomplish their project as accurately as possible. From Christophe André, whose Mediter, day after day (2011) was an astounding success, to Christian Bobin, whose L’Homme-joie (2012) relaunched his career in bookstores.
Few books each year
Finally, Sophie de Sivry, so modest, so benevolent and not inclined to put herself in the spotlight, she who enlightens her authors, turns out to be a fierce competitor when she decides to invest in the field of romance. From the start of the 2015 school year, with Victor Hugo just died, of her friend Judith Perrignon, she tackled the novel and quickly acquired real recognition in this area.
Few books each year, only one first novel in the fall, and a very recognizable graphic identity signed Quintin Leeds, who works for the reviews of the Arènes. Audacity and joy: this could be the motto of a designer who also knew how to leave with her husband and their four daughters for six months of sabbatical leave in 2006, the time of a journey in Africa and Southeast Asia. Because the adventure is not limited neither to professional life nor to unexpected parentheses.
At the time of Sophie’s early disappearance, the journalist at Le Monde Pascale Robert-Diard, who from the story La Déposition (2016) to the novel La Petite Menteuse (2022) was welcomed, “carried” by Sophie de Sivry, evokes the “absolute elegance” of the one who “gave her light to others” and delivered her energy without counting the cost. Olivia de Lamberterie, journalist and literary critic, remembers a friend “bright, ardent, animated by a flame and a grace that was only fervor”, never complaining, too invested in defending books like her friends.