Book by Assassinated Charlie Hebdo Editor in Chief to be Published by Little Brown

Posted on November 10, 2015

Little Brown announced that it will posthumously publish Open Letter: On Blasphemy, Islamophobia and the True Enemies of Free Expression by murdered Charlie Hebdo editor in chief Stephane Charbonnier. The manifesto will be published in January, 2016.

Charbonnier had finished writing the book just two days before he and his colleagues were killed by Islamic terrorists who burst into the satirical magazine's offices in Paris and slaughtered everyone they could in revenge for a cartoon showing the prophet Mohammed.

Michael Pietsch, the chief executive of Hachette Book Group, parent company of Little, Brown, had this to say about the project: "Freedom of speech is the foundation of our business, and Stephane Charbonnier was one of free speech’s great proponents. We're proud to publish this vital book."

Charbonnier, known as "Charb" to his colleagues and friends was a focus of the attack. The gunmen specifically called out his name to ensure they killed him in the attack. The book examines the criticism of the magazine Charlie Hebdo, Islamophobia and how being a satirist in today's world requires great courage. Charbonnier was a journalist and cartoonist who joined the staff of Charlie Hebdo in 1992. He became editor-in-chief of the magazine in 2009.

Little, Brown and Company publisher Reagan Arthur said in a statement, "In Open Letter, Charb's words are powerful and provocative. I'm honored to be able to publish this important and lasting work on free expression." The book will include a preface by Adam Gopnik of The New Yorker.