L'Éphémère

L'Éphémère was a French poetry magazine issued in Paris between 1967 and 1972. The publication was founded and edited by four poets: Yves Bonnefoy, Louis-René des Forêts, Jacques Dupin, and André Du Bouchet. Its creation reflected a concern that contemporary literary movements were placing insufficient value on the distinctive status of poetry. Rather than functioning as a broad commercial periodical, L'Éphémère served as a focused literary forum centered on poetry and associated critical or artistic concerns. The magazine appeared quarterly, giving it a relatively deliberate publishing rhythm suited to substantial literary work rather than rapid news or general cultural coverage. Its editorial identity was shaped by the involvement of four established poets, whose collaboration positioned the periodical within the French postwar poetry milieu. The magazine's name, meaning “ephemeral” in French, became associated with a short but significant period of poetic and intellectual exchange. Galerie Maeght financed the publication. This connection placed L'Éphémère within a broader Parisian cultural environment in which literary and visual-art institutions could support experimental or specialized publishing. The available reference material identifies the gallery as financier rather than as the magazine's publisher or editorial owner. L'Éphémère ceased publication in 1972, after approximately five years and a quarterly run. Its historical importance lies less in mass circulation or commercial scale than in its concentrated editorial project and in the participation of its four founding poet-editors. The magazine is also documented in Alain Mascarou's study Les Cahiers de “L'Éphémère, 1967–1972,” published by L'Harmattan in 1998.

L'Éphémère was a French poetry magazine based in Paris and active from 1967 to 1972. It was founded by the poets Yves Bonnefoy, Louis-René des Forêts, Jacques Dupin, and André Du Bouchet, who also served as its editors. The project emerged in response to newer literary currents in France that, in the founders' view, failed to recognize the special status of poetry. The magazine therefore adopted a focused poetic and literary mission rather than presenting itself as a general-interest cultural publication. The periodical was published quarterly. Its regular but relatively infrequent schedule was consistent with a publication intended for sustained literary engagement and the presentation of poetry rather than short-cycle reporting. The editorial collaboration of four poets gave the magazine a distinctive collective identity and connected it to the French postwar literary scene. Galerie Maeght financed L'Éphémère. The available account identifies the gallery as the magazine's financier and does not establish that it owned the editorial project or controlled its content. The financing relationship nevertheless linked the publication to a significant Parisian cultural institution and helped sustain a specialized poetry periodical during its five-year existence. Publication ended in 1972. Although the magazine was short-lived, its run has been treated as a discrete object of literary-historical study. Alain Mascarou's book Les Cahiers de “L'Éphémère, 1967–1972,” published by L'Harmattan in 1998, specifically examines the magazine's notebooks or papers and its 1967–1972 period. The available sources do not provide circulation figures, a complete issue list, detailed staff information, or a documented successor publication.

• 1998

  Dedicated scholarly study published

  [3]Dedicated scholarly study publisheden.wikipedia.org

  Alain Mascarou published Les Cahiers de “L'Éphémère, 1967–1972” with L'Harmattan, providing a study devoted to the magazine's papers and historical period.

• 1972

  Publication ends

  [1]L'Éphémèreen.wikipedia.org

  L'Éphémère ceased publication after a five-year run in Paris.

• 1967

  Magazine founded

  [1]L'Éphémèreen.wikipedia.org

  Yves Bonnefoy, Louis-René des Forêts, Jacques Dupin, and André Du Bouchet established L'Éphémère in Paris as a poetry magazine responding to literary developments they regarded as insufficiently attentive to poetry.

• 1967

  Quarterly publication begins

  [1]L'Éphémèreen.wikipedia.org

  The magazine began issuing poetry-focused material on a quarterly schedule, with financing from Galerie Maeght.

A specialized French literary periodical devoted to poetry and associated intellectual exchange, established in reaction to contemporary literary currents that the founders believed neglected poetry's privileged status.

• Poetry magazine · 1967

  L'Éphémère quarterly issues

  The magazine's principal offering was a quarterly French-language publication devoted to poetry. Its editorial direction was set by four poet-founders, and the periodical was conceived as a concentrated literary forum rather than a mass-market magazine. It was published in Paris from 1967 until publication ended in 1972.

1. 1L'Éphémèreen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Les Cahiers de “L'Éphémère, 1967–1972” by Alain Mascaroueditions-harmattan.fr
3. 3Dedicated scholarly study publisheden.wikipedia.org