The Legacy of Bernard Pivot: A Fan’s Biography by Bernard Declerck

2024-05-14 04:40:01

This Tuesday, May 14, the funeral of the famous journalist Bernard Pivot will take place in his village of Quincié-en-Beaujolais, Rhône. The opportunity to look back on his career and the passion that Bernard Declerck, a resident of Verlinghem, has had for him since 1976.

In 2017, Bernard Declerck, a retired banker, wrote a biography of the book lover and man of letters Bernard Pivot. Its freshness and simplicity have always pleased him. In 1976, a year after the first broadcast of Apostrophes, Bernard Declerck became a fan of Bernard Pivot. Interview.

What relationship did you have with Bernard Pivot?

I have always remained a fan. I didn’t discover “Apostrophes” the first year (1975), but at the end of the second year of broadcast. From the first moment, I never missed the show again because I became a fan of Bernard Pivot because I found that he asked great writers the questions that the general public, or someone else, would have asked them. who was not part of it, who was not a great intellectual.

He had the art of formulating his questions…

This is also what was wonderful. Pivot knew almost every time how to get the writers interviewed to answer the questions. These responses made millions of people want to read. And I’m a little part of it. I read a little before but it made me want to read books that I wouldn’t have read. He seduced me. Just like the readers, who could be found on Saturday (the day after the broadcast of Apostrophes) to their booksellers to buy the books they had heard about on television the day before.

Excerpt from the biography of Bernard Pivot by Bernard Declerck
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© France Télévisions

One evening I was alone in front of my television and I saw that someone was writing the biography of – I don’t remember who – and I said to myself: “damn, if I had to write the biography of someone, it would be Bernard Pivot”. In 1988 I had the idea, and knowing his address, I asked him for permission to write his biography. He never answered me. As a big fan, I used to go to the recording of his show in Paris. And alone, I often managed to sneak into the audience. At one point, during the cocktail party, I went up to Pivot, introduced myself and he shouted: “you’re the crazy one, you want to do my biography, but no, that’s not serious”. That’s how he pulled the rug out from under me. But I was such a fan that I absolutely wanted to write it.

Why didn’t Bernard Pivot want it?

It’s very simple, it’s the simplicity of man. He is someone who said: “I am not a writer, I am a journalist who writes books because, a writer, sir, modifies the style, brings original things”. He was incredibly modest. It wasn’t false modesty. There are plenty of testimonies on this and I’m sure he didn’t want to put himself forward.

Extract from the biography of Bernard Pivot by B. Declerck
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© France Télévisions

How did you do it?

I had extraordinary luck. I’m not an intellectual, not from the Parisian environment, not a writer, I was lucky enough that great people agreed to testify. In June 2001, at the last show of Bouillon de cultures, at the same time as Pivot’s retirement, I entered a room where the show was being broadcast. I went to see Marcel Jullian, one of the creators of Antenne 2, who agreed to a meeting with me in an isolated room of a restaurant because he loved Pivot. Claude Sérillon and Bernard Pivot’s brother followed… I was also lucky that Pivot was very appreciated.

Many things. For example, he was an average student, he would have liked to be a veterinarian but there was too much math and physics… On the other hand, a distant relative had noticed that Bernard Pivot liked reading newspapers and had recommended this path to his father . He took the competitive exam for the Paris journalism school, but he took a return ticket straight away, thinking he wouldn’t be accepted. In the end, not only was he accepted but he ended up at the top of his class.

Bernard Pivot and Bernard Declerck, at the Furet du Nord during the promotion of the biography of Bernard Pivot.
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© France Télévisions

GOOD. I telephoned Anne-Marie Bourgnon, his secretary, and sent my book. Three weeks later, Bernard Pivot called me and said: “I liked it, it’s full”. After the Goncourt, where he was a member of the jury, he received me, very charming, shortly after the end of August 2017, in a restaurant, for a very long time, and agreed to respond favorably to two requests. Say a word on the cover of the book. And help me promote the book. And he came to Lille to sign books, with me, who signed my bio.

1957. Bernard Pivot left vice-major of the promotion of the School of Journalism, CFJ, rue du Louvre in Paris

1958. Bernard Pivot is hired at Literary Figaro as a literary courier.

1975. January 10, first issue of Apostrophes

1984. First year of the spelling championships

2014. In January, Bernard Pivot was appointed by Edmonde Charles-Roux to take over as president of the Académie Goncourt.

Bernard Declerck gives lectures on Bernard Pivot.

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