Commentaire

{{Short description|French quarterly magazine}}

{{Infobox magazine

| title = Commentaire

| logo =

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| image_file = SaintPeres76.jpg

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| image_caption = Building at 76, rue des Saints-Pères in Paris, office of Commentaire since 2021

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| frequency = Quarterly

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| circulation_year = 2008

| total_circulation = 6000

| founder =

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| firstdate = {{Start date and age|1978}}

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| country = France

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| language = French

| website = {{URL|https://www.commentaire.fr}}

| issn = 0180-8214

| eissn = 2272-8988

| oclc =

}}

Commentaire is a French quarterly magazine, created in 1978 by Raymond Aron and Jean-Claude Casanova.{{cite web|url=https://www.nonfiction.fr/article-919-entretien_avec_jean_claude_casanova__1__la_creation_de_la_revue.htm|title=Entretien avec Jean-Claude Casanova (1) : La création de la revue|author=François Quinton|website=nonfiction.fr|date=10 April 2008}}

Aron's previous journal venture, started in 1970 and titled Contrepoint, had been terminated in 1976 following disagreements among its founders and its owner Patrick Devedjian. In a wide-ranging 2008 interview, Casanova described the decision to create Commentaire as having been made in late 1977 and involving, besides Aron and himself, a group of common friends that included Annie Kriegel, Jean Baechler, Alain Besançon, {{ill|François Bourricaud|fr}}, and {{ill|Kostas Papaïoannou|fr}}. The journal's motto, a quote from Pericles, was suggested by Papaioannou: Il n’y a pas de bonheur sans liberté, ni de liberté sans vaillance ("there can be neither happiness without liberty, nor liberty without courage"). Pierre Manent was the author of a manifesto explaining the journal's purpose in the first issue.

Among the journal's avowedly liberal inspirations, Casanova cited Montesquieu, Benjamin Constant, Alexis de Tocqueville, Élie Halévy, and Aron himself.{{cite web|url=https://www.nonfiction.fr/article-921-entretien_avec_jean_claude_casanova__2__le_liberalisme.htm|title=Entretien avec Jean-Claude Casanova (2) : Le libéralisme|author=François Quinton|website=nonfiction.fr|date=10 April 2008}}

The journal relies largely on volunteer work and a small administrative staff. In 2008, it printed 6,000 copies and had 3,800 subscribers, the rest being sold in bookstores and news shops.{{cite web|url=https://www.nonfiction.fr/article-933-entretien_avec_jean_claude_casanova__5__le_modele_economique.htm|title=Entretien avec Jean-Claude Casanova (5) : Le modèle économique|author=François Quinton|website=nonfiction.fr|date=10 April 2008}}

A specific feature is the abundance of selected quotes in each of the journal's issues. A section titled sans commentaire ("no comment") includes involuntary comical quotes, often from political leaders or ideological commentators.{{cite web|url=https://www.nonfiction.fr/article-926-entretien_avec_jean_claude_casanova__6__commentaire_dans_le_paysage_intellectuel.htm|title=Entretien avec Jean-Claude Casanova (6) : Commentaire dans le paysage intellectuel|author=François Quinton|website=nonfiction.fr|date=10 April 2008}}

In 2017, Commentaire made all its past published articles available online.{{cite web|website=Le Figaro|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/langue-francaise/actu-des-mots/2017/08/01/37002-20170801ARTFIG00004--commentaire-une-revue-a-la-page.php|title=Commentaire, une revue à la page|author=Alice Develey|date=1 August 2017}} Like its center-left peer Esprit, it is self-published and not dependent on a large publishing house.{{cite web|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/actualite-medias/article/2020/09/20/fin-du-debat-retour-du-combat_6052963_3236.html|website=Le Monde|title=La fin de la revue " Le Débat " suscite des lectures divergentes dans le milieu de la pensée française|author=Nicolas Truong|date=20 September 2020}}