Érik Izraelewicz, Editor of Le Monde, Dies at 58
|
Version 0 of 3. PARIS — Érik Izraelewicz, editorial director of Le Monde, died on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack in his office in Paris, the newspaper said Wednesday. He was 58. The death of Mr. Izraelewicz, who had served in the top editorial post for less than two years, opens a new chapter in the turbulent history of the newspaper. Mr. Izraelewicz had been hired by the new owners of the paper, a group of French investors who acquired control from the paper’s employees in 2010. Le Monde did not immediately name a successor. Mr. Izraelewicz, a former top editor at two French business dailies, Les Echos and La Tribune, had moved to overhaul Le Monde, known for its highbrow writing and left-leaning politics. Articles about pressing economic matters, especially the euro crisis, were featured prominently on the front page. Though Mr. Izraelewicz was close to prominent members of the Socialist Party, he was no left-wing ideologue. In an obituary in its Thursday edition, Le Monde describes Mr. Izraelewicz as having been from a pragmatic generation of French socialists “eager for reforms that shape the world as it is, for better or worse.” Before joining Les Echos and, later, La Tribune, Mr. Izraelewicz had worked as a journalist at Le Monde, where one of his postings was in New York. “From the Anglo-Saxon world, which he knew well, he adopted his professional codes, but also a certain coolness and a great sense of humor,” the paper’s journalists said in a statement. Mr. Izraelewicz was born in Strasbourg on Feb. 6, 1954. He was a graduate of HEC, one of the grandes écoles, the elite schools that train much of the French ruling and intellectual class. His death brought a tribute from President François Hollande, who described him in a statement as a “renowned economist, a distinguished professional and a man as demanding as generous.” “His kindness to other people never prevented him from being intractable in judging their actions or commenting on their choices,” Mr. Hollande said. Mr. Izraelewicz was also the author of a number of books, including two volumes about the rising economic power of China. Employees said Mr. Izraelewicz had collapsed on Tuesday while editing the Wednesday issue. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at a Paris hospital. <NYT_CORRECTION_BOTTOM> <p>This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Correction: November 28, 2012 <p><em></em><em></em><em></em><em></em>An earlier version of the headline with this article misspelled the surname of the editorial director of Le Monde. He was Érik Izraelewicz, not Israelewicz. |