In between, the magazine changed hands three times: Julliard (January 1949 to September 1965), Presses d'aujourd'hui (October 1964 to March 1985), Gallimard (from April 1985).
[3] The first editorial board consisted of Sartre (director),[4] Raymond Aron, Simone de Beauvoir, Michel Leiris, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Albert Ollivier, and Jean Paulhan.
This philosophy of literature expresses a basic creed of existentialism—that an individual is responsible for making conscious decisions to commit socially useful acts.
Sartre's response: "Le monde peut fort bien se passer de la littérature.
When Camus responded to the review with hurt feelings, Sartre put the final blow to a friendship that had lasted for years.
He said, "Vous êtes devenu la proie d'une morne démesure qui masque vos difficultés intérieures.
During the Algerian War (1954–1962) it strongly supported the National Liberation Front, the primary group in the ultimately successful battle against the French.
It fiercely denounced the extensive use of torture by French forces, opposed Charles de Gaulle's government, and supported desertion and resistance to conscription.
In 1967, at the time of the Six-Day War, an issue, "Le conflit israélo-arabe" ("The Israeli-Arab conflict"), contained articles by both Israelis and Arabs.
The editorial board consisted of Juliette Simont (Editorial Assistant to Lanzmann), Adrien Barrot, Jean Bourgault, Joseph Cohen, Michel Deguy, Liliane Kandel, Jean Khalfa, Patrice Maniglier, Robert Redeker, Marc Sagnol, Gérard Wormser, and Raphael Zagury-Orly.