The catalogue of Éditions Allia viewed through the borgesian notion of "library"

Abstract

This contribution focusses on the catalogue of the publishing house Allia, viewed through the borgesian notion of “library”. The lack of a “collection” that would give sense to this vast ensemble is palliated by the particularly thoughtful structure of the “Catalogue de la Bibliothèque Allia” and the publisher’s website, which is to be understood as a complement. A network of connections between authors, literary genres, themes and historical periods turns this catalogue into a universal library. The mediation is  being handled by an implicit paratext on the books, which becomes explicit in the catalogue. Explanatory notes create an organic link between different titles and enable a dialogue between past and present, rationalism and mysticism, politics and aesthetics, essays and poetry, medicine and music. Allia’s catalogue-library, undermining customary approaches while preserving its own coherence, is an escorting tool which allows the reader to find his way and to get lost in an extremely multi-faceted production.