Pact Offered in French Publishing Feud : Sibling squabble: One-time heir apparent to Editions Gallimard suggests share redistribution plan.

Christian Gallimard, one-time heir apparent of the French publishing dynasty, is trying to settle a feud that is threatening the future of the country’s largest independent publisher, his sister said today.

His peace move, in the form of a share redistribution plan, came after Simone Gallimard, mother of the four squabbling Gallimard children, broke her silence to appeal publicly for an end to the fighting.

“Gallimard is the greatest publishing house of all time and of any country. Both my sons have publishing in their blood, and its prestige is so great that they could both run it,” she told the French daily Le Figaro.

“My sons have no choice now but to agree,” Simone said, calling for a peace settlement between Christian and his younger brother, Antoine, Gallimard’s chief executive. “I urge them, not to love each other but to work together.”

Editions Gallimard is widely viewed as the most prestigious name in French publishing because of a list of authors that includes such great names in modern literature as Marcel Proust, Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.

Christian, 46, who was thrown out of the company by his father in 1983, was proposing a redistribution of Gallimard shares within the family, his sister Francoise told Reuters.

Since his departure from Gallimard, Christian has been locked in a quarrel with Antoine for control of the firm.

The fight took a particularly bitter turn after Antoine became its chief executive two years ago and managed to boost his stake from 12.5% to 33% with the help of his father, Claude.

Christian had threatened to take legal action to cancel Antoine’s share-boost. Claude and the four children together own 82% of the company.

Saying she was fed up with the fighting, Francoise late last month offered to sell her stake to either one of the brothers.

But the price she set, on the recommendation of a New York investment bank, was so high that clan members could only afford to buy her out with the help of outside partners.

The bank, Henry Ansbacher Inc., valued the firm at $315 million. Although it does not publish financial details, Gallimard’s turnover is estimated at $164 million.

The mother, Simone, who heads one of Gallimard’s two subsidiary publishing firms, said much more than money is at the root of the family row.

“These crises are not motivated by self-interest, they are moments of passion.”

According to the mother, Antoine, 42, was sidelined early on in the business by Christian before his triumphant revenge.