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Type | daily literary newspaper |
---|---|
Publisher | Augustin-Alexandre Dumont |
Founded | 19 November 1879 |
Ceased publication | 1938 |
Headquarters | Paris, France |
Circulation | 30,000[1] |
Gil Blas (or Le Gil Blas) was a Parisian literary periodical named for Alain-René Lesage's novel Gil Blas. It was founded by the sculptor Augustin-Alexandre Dumont in November 1879.
Gil Blas serialized novels, such as Émile Zola's Germinal (1884) and L'Œuvre (1885), before they appeared in book form. Numerous Guy de Maupassant short stories debuted in Gil Blas.[2] The journal was also known for its opinionated arts and theatre criticism.[1] Contributors included René Blum, Alexandru Bogdan-Pitești,[3] and Abel Hermant. Théophile Steinlen and Albert Guillaume provided illustrations.
Gil Blas was published regularly until 1914, when there was a short hiatus due to the outbreak of World War I. Afterwards, it was published intermittently until 1938.[1]
In addition to Germinal, Gil Blas serialized the Zola novels L'Argent, Au Bonheur des Dames, and La Joie de vivre.
Gil Blas critic Louis Vauxcelles's phrase "Donatello chez les fauves" ("Donatello among the wild beasts") brought notoriety and attention to the works of Henri Matisse and Les Fauves exhibited at the Salon d'Automne of 1905. Vauxcelles' comment was printed on 17 October 1905[4] and passed into popular usage.[5]
La candeur de ces bustes surprend, au milieu de l'orgie des tons purs : Donatello chez les fauves