Éditions des Femmes

Éditions des Femmes is a French feminist publishing house that emerged from the autonomous communications networks created by second-wave feminist movements. It was launched in 1972 by the collective Psychanalyse et politique, associated with Antoinette Fouque, and was financed in its early development by the patron Sylvina Boissonnas. The press was organized through a company whose statutes were filed in December 1972 and whose original membership structure brought together 21 participants on an equal basis. This organizational model reflected the movement's ambition to create publishing and distribution infrastructure controlled by women rather than relying on established, predominantly male cultural institutions. The house publishes French and translated foreign authors, as well as reissues and historical writings. Its catalog spans fiction, poetry, theater, biography, correspondence, memoir and testimony, psychoanalysis, sociology, philosophy, history, feminist theory and works concerning women's social condition, lesbianism, women's history and human rights. Early successful titles included Victoria Thérame's Hosto-Blues and Elena Gianini Belotti's On the Side of Little Girls in French translation. Between 1974 and 1979, the press also published eight works by Hélène Cixous, including Souffles, Portrait of Dora, Angst, Wedding Preparations Beyond the Abyss, The Name of Oedipus, Song of the Forbidden Body, Anankè and Live Orange. The press expanded beyond conventional books. In 1974 it opened a Paris bookstore named Women, later moving from rue des Saints-Pères to rue de Seine. The site eventually incorporated a gallery and a broader women's cultural space, presenting work by artists including Sonia Delaunay, Kate Millett, Tina Modotti and Louise Nevelson. Additional women's bookstores opened in Marseille in 1976 and Lyon in 1977, although those locations did not remain open indefinitely. The Paris bookstore-gallery closed in 1999 and later reopened on rue Jacob with a women's space. Éditions des Femmes also experimented with periodicals and spoken-word publishing. Associated publications included Women's Daily, issued irregularly from 1974 to 1976, and Women in Motion, which appeared first as a monthly and later as a weekly publication. In 1980, Antoinette Fouque initiated an audiobook collection at a time when spoken books were still uncommon in France. The collection used prominent actors and writers as readers, treating the human voice as an important interpretive dimension of literary works. Participants included Isabelle Adjani, Fanny Ardant, Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Isabelle Huppert, Jeanne Moreau, Jacques Derrida, Marguerite Duras and Nathalie Sarraute. The catalog has also included projects with public, political and charitable dimensions. A 1993 photographic book on Catherine Deneuve benefited the fight against AIDS. In 2013, the house published Le Dictionnaire universel des créatrices, a large reference work edited by Béatrice Didier, Antoinette Fouque and Mireille Calle-Gruber, documenting women creators across historical periods and cultural fields. The press's works have received literary and cultural recognition, including Franco-Arab Friendship, Jean Macé and Palestine-related awards. Its identity remains closely associated with feminist publishing, women's cultural autonomy, experimental formats and the preservation of women's intellectual and artistic contributions.

Éditions des Femmes was created in 1972 within the French feminist movement's effort to establish autonomous channels for women's cultural production and circulation. Its origins lay in Psychanalyse et politique, a collective linked to the Women's Liberation Movement and led by Antoinette Fouque. The project received financial support from Sylvina Boissonnas. The statutes of the company, named Women, were filed in December 1972. The entity was initially structured around 21 members with equal participation, an arrangement intended to embody collective ownership and feminist organizational principles. Yvonne Boissarie served as the first manager. Marie-Claude Grumbach succeeded her in June 1974. A major internal change occurred in 1979, when shares were transferred in favor of Antoinette Fouque, Sylvina Boissonnas and Marie-Claude Grumbach. Contemporary accounts describe this as a departure from the original equality-based structure, illustrating tensions that could arise when movement organizations developed more formal publishing businesses. The press's early catalog combined feminist political concerns with literary and scholarly publishing. It issued works on psychoanalysis, sociology, philosophy, history and women's social condition, while also publishing fiction, poetry, theater, biographies, correspondence and personal testimony. It translated foreign authors and brought older or neglected writings back into circulation. Hosto-Blues by Victoria Thérame and Elena Gianini Belotti's On the Side of Little Girls were among its early successful titles. The house became particularly associated with Hélène Cixous, publishing eight of her fiction titles between 1974 and 1979. Publishing was accompanied by physical cultural infrastructure. The first Women bookstore opened in Paris on May 30, 1974, at 68 rue des Saints-Pères. It moved to rue de Seine in 1981 and incorporated an art gallery directed by or associated with Marie Dedieu. The gallery presented artists and photographers including Sonia Delaunay, Milvia Maglione, Françoise Martinelli, Kate Millett, Tina Modotti, Claude Batho, Ilse Bing and Louise Nevelson. A Marseille bookstore opened in 1976 and a Lyon location followed in 1977. The regional stores later closed. The Paris bookstore-gallery closed in 1999, then reopened on rue Jacob with a women's cultural space. The organization also experimented with feminist periodical publishing. Women's Daily appeared irregularly from November 1974 to June 1976. Women in Motion was published monthly from December 1977 to January 1979 and subsequently as a weekly, reaching 101 issues with interruptions between October 1979 and July 1982. These publications extended the press's role from book production to continuing feminist journalism and movement communication. In 1980, Antoinette Fouque established an audiobook collection. The initiative was innovative in France, where spoken-book publishing was not yet widespread. The recordings featured readings by prominent performers such as Isabelle Adjani, Fanny Ardant, Nathalie Baye, Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Isabelle Huppert and Jeanne Moreau, as well as writers and intellectuals including Yves Bonnefoy, Jacques Derrida, Marguerite Duras, Julien Gracq and Nathalie Sarraute. The collection reflected the press's interest in voice, accessibility and the performative dimension of literature. The press continued to publish works with international and public-interest dimensions. Titles by Nawal el Saadawi received the Franco-Arab Friendship Award in 1982. Other recognized works included Victoria Thérame's Staboulkash, which received the Jean Macé Prize for Teaching in 1982, and Hanane Ashrawi's Peace to the Inside: Palestine-Israel, associated with Franco-Arab and Palestine-related awards in the 1990s. In 1993, the house issued a Catherine Deneuve photography volume whose proceeds supported AIDS activism. In 2013, it published Le Dictionnaire universel des créatrices, a major reference work edited by Béatrice Didier, Antoinette Fouque and Mireille Calle-Gruber. The project consolidated the press's long-standing commitment to documenting women's artistic and intellectual achievements. Éditions des Femmes remains identified with feminist publishing, women's writing, human-rights themes and alternative forms of cultural distribution.

• 2013

  Universal dictionary of women creators published

  [1]Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org

  The press issued Le Dictionnaire universel des créatrices.

• 1999

  Paris bookstore-gallery closes

  [1]Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org

  The rue de Seine bookstore-gallery closed after its period as a feminist cultural venue.

• 1993

  Catherine Deneuve photography book published

  [1]Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org

  A photography volume on Catherine Deneuve was released to benefit the fight against AIDS.

• 1980

  Audiobook collection launched

  [1]Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org

  The press began issuing audiobooks read by prominent actors, writers and intellectuals.

• 1977

  Lyon bookstore opens

  [1]Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org

  A second regional women's bookstore opened in Lyon.

• 1976

  Marseille bookstore opens

  [1]Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org

  A women's bookstore was opened in Marseille.

• 1974

  Paris bookstore opens

  [1]Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org

  The Women bookstore opened at 68 rue des Saints-Pères in Paris.

• 1974

  Marie-Claude Grumbach becomes manager

  [1]Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org

  Marie-Claude Grumbach succeeded Yvonne Boissarie as manager in June.

• 1972

  Press founded

  [1]Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org

  Psychanalyse et politique launched Éditions des Femmes with financial support from Sylvina Boissonnas.

• 1972

  Company statutes filed

  [1]Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org

  The statutes of the company Women were filed in December, establishing the original equal-member structure.

An independent French feminist press combining literary publishing, feminist theory, women's history, translation, spoken-word editions and cultural programming. Its positioning is rooted in autonomous women-led communication networks and in the publication of voices and subjects underrepresented by conventional publishing.

• Non-fiction · 1972

  Feminist and women's studies books

  Works addressing feminism, women's history, gender relations, lesbianism, the feminine condition and human rights. The list also includes scholarship in psychoanalysis, sociology, philosophy and history.

• Fiction and literature · 1972

  Literary catalog

  The press publishes French and translated fiction, poetry, theater, correspondence, biography, memoir and testimony. Its catalog has included substantial work by Hélène Cixous and early successful titles by Victoria Thérame.

• Audiobooks · 1980

  Audiobook collection

  Launched in 1980, the collection uses professional readings by actors, authors and intellectuals. It was an early French publishing experiment in making literary and cultural texts available through recorded voices.

• Reference publishing · 2013

  Le Dictionnaire universel des créatrices

  A large reference work documenting women creators across artistic, intellectual and cultural fields, edited by Béatrice Didier, Antoinette Fouque and Mireille Calle-Gruber and published in 2013.

• Cultural retail and exhibition · 1974

  Women bookstore and gallery

  A Paris bookstore and gallery associated with the press provided a dedicated retail, exhibition and meeting space for women's literature and art. Regional locations also operated in Marseille and Lyon for periods of time.

• 2013Le Dictionnaire universel des créatrices

  France · French-language markets

  Éditions des Femmes released a comprehensive reference project devoted to women creators and their contributions across cultural and intellectual fields.

  Outcome. The publication extended the press's documentary and canon-building role beyond conventional trade publishing.

  Source
• 1993Catherine Deneuve AIDS-benefit publication

  France

  The press published a photographic portrait volume of Catherine Deneuve, with the project supporting the fight against AIDS.

  Outcome. The book connected the publisher's cultural activity with AIDS-related charitable support.

  Source

• 1999

  Reconfiguration of the Paris cultural spaceStrategy

  Background

  The long-running rue de Seine bookstore-gallery had operated as a feminist retail and exhibition venue.

  Action taken

  The bookstore-gallery closed and later reopened on rue Jacob with a women's space.

  Aftermath

  The move preserved a physical cultural presence while changing the format and location of the Paris operation.

  Source

• 1980

  Expansion into audiobooksProduct launch

  Background

  Recorded books were still uncommon in France, and the press sought to make texts accessible through voice and performance.

  Action taken

  Antoinette Fouque launched a dedicated audiobook collection featuring notable performers and writers.

  Aftermath

  The collection broadened the press's formats and reinforced its interest in voice, accessibility and experimental publishing.

  Source

• 1979

  Ownership structure shifts away from equal membershipStrategy

  Background

  The publishing company had originally been organized around 21 equal members, reflecting the collective principles of the feminist movement.

  Action taken

  Shares were transferred in favor of Antoinette Fouque, Sylvina Boissonnas and Marie-Claude Grumbach.

  Aftermath

  The change marked a significant departure from the original equal-share structure and became an important episode in the press's organizational history.

  Source

1. 1Éditions des Femmesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Éditions des Femmes official websitedesfemmes.fr