A life in the service of books: «Monsieur Payot» testifies

Tuesday's books - Ivan Garcia

In a wide-ranging interview, Pascal Vandenberghe, General Manager of Payot bookstores, gives readers an insight into his career. From his youth in Metz to the mountains of Switzerland, via Paris, «Monsieur Payot» - as some in the media call him - details the experiences and encounters, both real and literary, that have made him what he is today, as well as his adventure with Payot Libraire. A must-read for anyone wishing to know more about this retailer and the man who helped make it independent.

«Pascal Vandenberghe, the »book guru” with long white hair, joined Payot in 2004 as CEO of Payot SA. Ten years later, in 2014, he took over Payot SA (Payot Libraire + Nature & Découvertes) by becoming the majority shareholder and spinning it off from the Lagardère Services group. But how did this young, self-taught man from Metz—a dreamer, manual laborer, and tireless reader, who worked as a bookseller at Fnac and as a publisher—end up at Payot, and, moreover, rise to the position of CEO? That is precisely the question he explores in an interview titled The Tightrope Walker of the Book with his interview partner, journalist and columnist Christophe Gallaz. 

The «Don Quixote» of the book

 «My Life" by Books are an integral part of my life for »books," writes Pascal Vandenberghe at the end of the foreword to the The Book Tightrope Walker. This interview with Christophe Gallaz, accompanied by an essay titled Book shopping is a combat sport, consists of four parts. It is, therefore, a «concept book,» to use the terms of Quentin Mouron and publisher Olivier Morratel. The first part of the interview covers «Monsieur Payot’s» youth, from his birth through his Don Quixote-like tribulations and a chaotic school career, before he ended up at Fnac, where he learned the trade of bookselling.

«I was twenty-three, and ever since I was sixteen, I’d been living a bit like a knight-errant—doing odd jobs, traveling, dating girls… I wasn’t unhappy, but I didn’t have the slightest plan for the future.»

The second part covers his formative years and his time working at Fnac (which was quite different from the consumer mecca we know today). The third part explores his time in the publishing industry, particularly at Editions La Découverte, which specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Finally, the fourth part details his arrival at Payot, his hard-fought battle to preserve the company’s independence, and the challenges he still faces before his potential retirement.

The Tightrope Walker of the Book is a testimony to a calling, peppered with anecdotes, that the narrator shares with us. But it is a testimony that, even though it is autobiographical, does not reveal major aspects of the protagonist’s private life. In fact, the subject of the book is not Pascal Vandenberghe himself, but the relationship he maintains with books and the literary world. Thus, by way of a preface, the author quotes a song by Brassens to avoid any ambiguity: «I don’t show my reproductive organs/To anyone except my wives and my doctors.» Lovers of gossip and frivolous anecdotes, move along! On the other hand, curious readers of all kinds will find what they’re looking for in this rich life story.

Read also | Books: More Than Just a Necessity

The Lesson from «Mr. Payot»

The interview conducted by Christophe Gallaz flows smoothly and is an easy read. It should be noted, however, that the references provided by the interviewee are relatively specialized and sometimes require the reader to look up information outside the book. For example, when Pascal Vandenberghe discusses the French-language book scene, citing, among others, «Le Furet du Nord,» when he mentions Editions Maspero [Editor’s note: former name of Editions La Découverte], or when he uses «technical» terms such as «chaîne d’office,» these references are not familiar to everyone. And yet, without them, the book would lose some of its charm. In addition to providing a concrete account of the interviewee’s professional experiences, The Tightrope Walker of the Book It is also an opportunity to learn about the convictions that drive Payot’s CEO, including the debt of gratitude he feels toward books, which explains his commitment to this medium.   

«[…] until 2007, after having been with Payot for three years already, I felt I owed it to the book.
A personal debt?
Yes. Everything I had been able to accomplish in my life since 1983—including this fulfilling career—I owed to the books that had shaped me. »If I was so committed, if I gave it my all, it was to repay my debt to them—they had given me everything."

As mentioned above, Pascal Vandenberghe is self-taught. He acquired his literary knowledge—at least initially—on his own. He did not attend college and worked in numerous manual trades—including as a machinist—before entering the publishing industry. He is a sort of self-made man or a Balzacian character who, through hard work and passion, has managed to take his rightful place. In fact, in 2019, the author had published Cannibal Reader: Literary Columns and Cultural Gems, a collection of literary columns that introduced readers to the authors and books that had left a lasting impression on him.

Upon reading the The Book Tightrope Walker, we learn a great deal. We learn about Pascal Vandenberghe, Payot, and the French and Swiss publishing worlds. For example, certain things that seem commonplace to us today—such as the fact that a book is published on the same date in France and Switzerland—were by no means commonplace just thirty years ago. But above all, we discover the life story of a man who, like other writers and publishers, has dedicated his life to books and believes in their power. «Monsieur Payot» offers us a great life lesson. 

«For my part, contrary to what some people believe, I did not buy Payot out of personal ambition but to ensure its future. Out of a sense of duty—if that word still holds any weight—and out of necessity. There is a simple criterion by which to evaluate the track record of a CEO. If, upon his departure, the company has as much future ahead of it as it had past when he joined, he has succeeded. That doesn’t rule out the possibility that he had to reform the company to make it sustainable, of course. But his primary concern must be the company’s long-term survival, not shareholder returns.»

Write to the author: ivan.garcia@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit for the featured image: © Payot Libraire
Photo of the Payot bookstore in Geneva's Rive Gauche neighborhood.

Pascal Vandenberghe
"The Tightrope Walker of the Book," an interview with Christophe Gallaz, followed by Bookstores Are a Combat Sport (Essay)
L’Aire Publishing
2021
260 pages

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