La Bougie du Sapeur
|
sans reproche (“without reproach”) | |
 | |
| Type | Quadrennial newspaper |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) |
Jacques Debuisson, Christian Bailly |
| Editor | Jean d'Indy |
| Founded | 29 February 1980 |
| Political alignment | None (humorous) |
| Language | French |
| Headquarters |
17, rue Saint-Paul Paris 75004 France |
| City | Paris |
| Country | France |
| Circulation | 200,000[1] |
| ISSN | 0761-6147 |
| OCLC number | 474123818 |
La Bougie du Sapeur is a humorous French newspaper launched in 1980 that prints only on Leap Day,[2] making it the world’s least frequently published newspaper.[3]
History
La Bougie du Sapeur was created by Jacques Debuisson and Christian Bailly as a joke between friends.[4] The newspaper's name, literally The Soldier’s Candle[3] refers to the Camember, a soldier in a comic book created by Georges Colomb in 1896.[5] In the story, Camember was born on 29 February and joined the army when he had celebrated his birthday only four times.[2]
Content
The paper’s tenth edition was released in February 2016 and 150,000–200,000 copies of each edition are printed. It sells for € 4.70[1] from newsstands for one month,[6] but subscriptions are available – € 100 per century[3] – and back issues are € 15.[7]
2004 saw the first edition of La Bougie du Sapeur – Dimanche, a special series to be published every Sunday 29 February, which will not occur again until 2032.[8]
Profits from the 2008[9] and 2012[10] editions went to charity.
The 2012 edition of the paper featured a story on the end of the Euro which led readers to believe that the paper supported the politics of the far‑right Front national; the editor‑in‑chief maintains that the paper is apolitical.[11]
The 2016 edition was the first to be sold in Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Canada.[11]
Management
As of 2016, Jean d'Indy served as editor-in-chief and has worked for the paper since 1992.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 "La Bougie du Sapeur sort son 10e numéro le 29 février" (in French). Paris: Europe 1. Agence France‑Presse. 26 February 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2016.
- 1 2 F., R. (1996). "‘La Bougie du Sapeur’, le journal qui tombe avant l’heure". L’Humanité (in French). Archived from the original on 7 December 2015.
- 1 2 3 Creedon, James (2012). "La Bougie du Sapeur: the world’s least frequent newspaper". Media Watch. Paris: France 24. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012.
- ↑ Chainon, Jean Yves (2008). "France: La Bougie du Sapeur, every 29 February". Presse News. Editors Weblog. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015.
- ↑ Birck, Danielle (2008). "Bissextile: La Bougie du Sapeur" (in French). Radio France International. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015.
- ↑ Hanne, Isabelle (2012). "‘La Bougie du sapeur’, le marronnier du 29 février". Libération (in French). Paris. ISSN 0335-1793. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015.
- ↑ "La Bougie du Sapeur". La Galcante (in French). Paris. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015.
- ↑ Nicolas, Eric (2012). "Demandez le journal !". L’Est républicain (in French). Nancy, France. ISSN 0240-4958. Archived from the original on 25 April 2015.
- ↑ Pasteau, Benoist (2012). "Découvrez la Une de La Bougie du Sapeur". Europe 1 (in French). Archived from the original on 6 June 2013.
- ↑ Beardsley, Eleanor (2012). "For Leap Day Only, A Rare Newspaper Goes To Print". Morning Edition. NPR. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015.
- 1 2 Haddad, Marie‑Pierre (27 February 2016). "Année bissextile : La Bougie du Sapeur, ce journal qui ne sort que les 29 février" (in French). RTL. Archived from the original on 28 February 2016.