La Bougie du Sapeur
La Bougie du Sapeur (French: [la bu.ʒi dy sa.pœʁ]) is a French satirical newspaper launched in 1980 that is published only on Leap Day,[2] making it the world's least frequently published newspaper.[3]
| sans reproche ("without reproach") | |
 | |
| Type | Quadrennial newspaper |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Jacques Debuisson, Christian Bailly |
| Editor | Jean d'Indy |
| Founded | 29 February 1980 |
| Language | French |
| Headquarters | 17, rue Saint-Paul Paris 75004 France |
| City | Paris |
| Country | France |
| Circulation | 200,000[1] |
| ISSN | 0761-6147 |
| OCLC number | 474123818 |
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 Sapper's Candle,[3] refers to Camember, a sapper 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]
The first edition of La Bougie du Sapeur – Dimanche, a special Sunday supplement, was published in 2004; the next edition will not be published until 2032.[8]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 that led readers to believe that the paper supported the politics of the far‑right Front national, however, 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 serves as editor-in-chief and has worked for the paper since 1992.[1]
References
- "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.
- 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.
- 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. Retrieved 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.
- 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.