Les Soirées de Paris

Les Soirées de Paris was a French literary and artistic review founded in February 1912 by Guillaume Apollinaire together with André Billy, René Dalize, André Salmon, and André Tudesq. It belonged to the energetic Parisian culture of the pre-First World War period, when literary reviews served not only as vehicles for poetry and criticism but also as meeting points for emerging movements in painting, music, and experimental writing. The publication is closely associated with Apollinaire, one of the central literary figures of early twentieth-century French modernism, and with a broad circle of writers, artists, critics, and cultural intermediaries. The review published literary contributions alongside visual material and maintained links with the avant-garde art world. Its contributors included writers such as Max Jacob, Blaise Cendrars, Jean Paulhan, Francis Carco, Fernand Léger, Giovanni Papini, Alberto Savinio, and others. The publication also featured or was connected with illustrations and artwork by major modern artists, including Pablo Picasso, Marie Laurencin, Henri Matisse, Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Henri Rousseau, André Derain, Francis Picabia, Georges Braque, Archipenko, Fernand Léger, Marius de Zayas, Maurice de Vlaminck, and Georges Rouault. These associations give the review historical importance beyond its brief run: it documented the overlapping literary and artistic networks that helped shape European modernism before 1914. Les Soirées de Paris had at least two editorial series or phases. The first series included Apollinaire, Tudesq, Dalize, Billy, André Salmon, and a wide range of other contributors. The second series expanded the circle of writers and artists associated with the review, including figures such as Gabrielle Buffet, Mireille Havet, Edgard Varèse, Blaise Cendrars, Alberto Savinio, Fernand Léger, and Georges Rouault. The available reference material identifies contributors and illustrators but does not establish a detailed commercial structure, ownership history, circulation, pricing, or financial performance. The review was last published in August 1914. Its termination coincided with the outbreak of the First World War, although the available source does not specify whether the war directly caused the cessation. As a result, Les Soirées de Paris is best understood as a defunct historical periodical rather than a continuing consumer brand. Its surviving issues are preserved and made accessible through the Bibliothèque nationale de France's Gallica digital library. The publication remains relevant to the study of Apollinaire, avant-garde literary culture, early twentieth-century art criticism, and the interdependence of literature and visual art in prewar Paris.

Les Soirées de Paris emerged in February 1912 within the literary and artistic environment of pre-First World War Paris. It was founded by Guillaume Apollinaire and four associates: André Billy, René Dalize, André Salmon, and André Tudesq. The review's founding group placed it close to the literary networks surrounding Apollinaire, while its contributor lists show that it also operated as a meeting place for a much wider range of writers, artists, critics, and cultural figures. The publication combined literary and artistic interests rather than limiting itself to a narrowly defined genre. Its contributors included poets, novelists, essayists, critics, and figures connected with music and the visual arts. Among the names associated with its second series were Max Jacob, Gabrielle Buffet, Mireille Havet, Edgard Varèse, Blaise Cendrars, Alberto Savinio, Fernand Léger, and Georges Rouault. The review's network therefore crossed disciplinary boundaries that were increasingly important to modernist culture. Literature, painting, art criticism, and experimental artistic practice appeared within the same cultural field. Les Soirées de Paris is also notable for its association with important modern artists as illustrators or providers of visual material. The documented names include Pablo Picasso, Marie Laurencin, Henri Matisse, Jean Metzinger, Albert Gleizes, Henri Rousseau, André Derain, Francis Picabia, Georges Braque, Archipenko, Fernand Léger, Marius de Zayas, Maurice de Vlaminck, and Georges Rouault. Their presence indicates that the review participated in the exchange between literary publishing and the developing avant-garde art scene. The surviving contributor and illustrator lists are more substantial than the available information about the review's business operations: no reliable figures for circulation, revenue, pricing, ownership, or paid distribution are established in the supplied sources. The review had a first series and a second series. The first series included the five founders and additional contributors such as Maurice de Waleffe, Jacques Dyssord, Charles Perrés, Marcel Duminy, Roch Grey, Jérôme Tharaud, Francis Carco, Jean Pellerin, and Jean Paulhan. The second series brought in further writers and artists while retaining links to Apollinaire and several earlier participants. This changing roster suggests an evolving editorial and cultural program, although the available references do not provide enough detail to reconstruct each issue's editorial policy or the precise transition between series. Les Soirées de Paris was last published in August 1914. This places its entire known run in the period immediately before and at the beginning of the First World War. The source material records the final publication date but does not establish the exact reason for the cessation, so it should not be stated definitively that wartime conditions alone caused the review to close. The publication is now a historical, defunct periodical rather than an active brand. Digitized copies and catalog information are available through Gallica, the digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, allowing researchers to examine its role in early twentieth-century French literary and artistic culture.

1. 1914Final publication

   The review was last published in August 1914.

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2. 1912Founding of the review

   Les Soirées de Paris was founded in February by Guillaume Apollinaire, André Billy, René Dalize, André Salmon, and André Tudesq.

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3. 1912First series begins

   The publication's first series brought together its founding editors and a broad circle of literary contributors.

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A French literary and artistic review positioned within the Parisian avant-garde, combining literary publication with engagement with modern painting, criticism, and broader experimental culture.

• Les Soirées de ParisLiterary and artistic periodical1912

  A French review founded in 1912 and discontinued in 1914. It published literary material and participated in the cultural exchange between writing and modern art. Its documented contributors and illustrators included prominent figures from the Parisian avant-garde, making the surviving issues valuable sources for the study of early twentieth-century modernism.

• 1912Launch of a cross-disciplinary literary and artistic reviewStrategy

  The founders established the publication during a period of intense literary and visual experimentation in Paris.

  What changed. They created a review that combined literary contributions with engagement from painters, illustrators, critics, and other avant-garde cultural figures.

  Aftermath. The review became associated with a notable network of modernist writers and artists before ending publication in 1914.

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• 1914The review ceases publication

  Les Soirées de Paris was last published in August 1914, ending its short prewar publishing history.

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• 1912Les Soirées de Paris is founded in Paris

  Guillaume Apollinaire and four associates established the French literary and artistic review in February 1912.

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1. Les Soirées de Paris
2. Gallica catalogue and digitized issues