Correspondance littéraire, philosophique et critique. A manuscript journal, of which some 15 copies were regularly distributed to wealthy and titled subscribers throughout Europe, including Catherine the Great and Frederick II of Prussia. It began as a continuation, perhaps a rival, of the Nouvelles littéraires, compiled irregularly by Raynal between 1747 and 1755. Its chief editor from 1753 to 1773 was Melchior Grimm, who was increasingly helped by Madame d'Épinay, Diderot, and J.-K. Meister. Meister took over the editorship from 1773 to 1793, and attempted with little success to revive the journal after 1794.
The Correspondance littéraire (as it is usually known) was dispatched at first at monthly, but soon at fortnightly intervals; this rhythm was maintained with some variations until the 1770s, when it reverted to monthly distribution. Each number was a sizeable production. The most famous of a number of similar journals [see Bachaumont; Métra], it offers a rich account of cultural life in Paris, reporting at length on new publications, plays, and art exhibitions, but also including original works, most notably by Diderot, who used it as an outlet for many of his most important writings which could not be openly published. It was for the Correspondance that he composed his Salons.
The journal generally reflects the views of the philosophe circle, responding rapidly to the intellectual issues of the day. Grimm's personal contribution is remarkable for its acute, if biased, judgements and its consistently readable style, which is sometimes serious, occasionally fulsome, but often mischievously ironic or downright rude.
The
[Peter France]
