Publishing, the Rules of the Trade

Les Mystères Delon

Bernard Violet, Flammarion, original edition, 2000, Coll. Bfm - Limoges

A well-known specialist of investigative journalism, Bernard Violet submitted the synopsis of a biography of Alain Delon to Laure Adler, an editor with Grasset. Informed about the project’s existence by the editor, the actor requested that the working document should be sent to his lawyers. Unsatisfied with its content, which he esteemed to be an attack on his privacy, he brought legal proceedings based on the preparatory 18 pages. This complaint, which cited elements of the synopsis, was published by Marianne weekly. Alain Delon’s lawyers tried to have the magazine seized but did not obtain the judgement they were seeking. This case was typical of a trend: some public figures aspire to impose an ‘official’ biography. Bernard Violet continued his investigation and in 2000, Les Mystères Delon. La part d’ombre de la vie d’acteur was published by Flammarion.