I found this to be a true ode to friendship. A lover of words speaks as he reflects on the subtlety between cronyism and friendship, between true friendship and self-serving friendships. It makes us think about this feeling that we all know but about which not much has been written in literature. There are many anecdotes about the literary world. It’s a book that makes you want to take care of your friends. I liked it a lot! — RTL

A declaration of friendship to those who marked his childhood in Lyon and then his career as a journalist, AMIS, CHER AMIS develops Montaigne’s famous adage “Because it was him, because it was me” by magnifying it with anecdotes. — Laëtitia Favro, le JDD

To succeed in life is to have true friends. His demonstration is irrefutable, sweet and heartbreaking. — Yves Jaeglé, Le Parisien

A case for friendship that defies social relations, love, and time. It’s irresistible. — Télématin

“Friendship breaks walls down; broadens our point of view; lengthens our arms, our steps and our time.”

What is less unfettered or more precious than friendship? Bernard Pivot, who knows the pleasure of having faithful friends, some of them lifelong, can measure its true worth.

We all know Pivot, the literary critic, but in this book we discover Pivot, the friend, who has always been careful to distinguish sincere friendship from cronyism. Which can be tricky, when your influential position attracts favors and flattery… But Bernard Pivot knows true friendship too well to let the wool be pulled over his eyes. His own personal pantheon includes childhood friends and high-school ones, journalists, actors, a few writers, and just one publisher. Chosen ones whose place in his heart is forever.

In these vibrant pages, overflowing with emotion and sincerity, Bernard Pivot allows us to come as close as possible to the mysterious alchemy between two people. We don’t have many real friends. Bernard Pivot’s changed his life. In talking about them, he tells us a lot about himself.

From the cult literary television program Apostrophes to the presidency of the Académie Goncourt prize jury via his column in the Journal du Dimanche, Bernard Pivot is omnipresent on the French literary scene, as well as being one of the most popular people in France. His previous book at Allary Éditions: Au secours ! Les mots m’ont mange (Help! Words Have Eaten Me Alive).