Éditions Galilée
Corporate brand
UnclaimedÉditions Galilée is a Paris-based French publishing house known for philosophy, literary writing, art criticism and human sciences, particularly works associated with deconstruction and postmodern thought.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Éditions Galilée is an independent French publishing house established in Paris in 1971 by Michel Delorme. Its catalogue concentrates on philosophy, French literature, contemporary art, literary theory and the human sciences. The house became particularly influential through its relationship with deconstructionist philosophy and its publication of major works by Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Nancy, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe and Sarah Kofman. It also issued books by writers and thinkers associated with postmodernism, critical theory, media and technology studies, political thought and cultural criticism, including Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard, Paul Virilio, Félix Guattari, André Gorz, Bernard Stiegler and Michel Onfray. A defining feature of Galilée's identity is the interaction it has maintained between philosophical writing, literary experimentation and visual art. Rather than operating solely as an academic philosophy press, it has published authors, artists and critics whose work crosses disciplinary boundaries. Its list includes studies of painting, sculpture, photography and artistic practice, as well as artist books and publications connected with figures such as Marcel Duchamp, Wifredo Lam, Christian Boltanski, Valerio Adami, Pierre Alechinsky, Karel Appel, Simon Hantaï, Antoni Tàpies and Ernest Pignon-Ernest. This combination of theory and artistic production helped distinguish Galilée within the French intellectual publishing landscape. The publishing house's early years established much of its long-term profile. In 1973, it released a group of philosophically and politically significant titles, including works by Michel Bosquet, Élisabeth de Fontenay, Sarah Kofman, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe and Jean-Luc Nancy, alongside writing connected with Jacques Derrida. In 1974, Derrida, Nancy, Lacoue-Labarthe and Kofman helped create the collection “La philosophie en effet,” a central vehicle for French deconstruction and related philosophical work. Derrida's Glas became one of the collection's landmark publications. During the same period, Galilée published Georges Perec's Espèces d'espaces in 1974 and Alphabets in 1976, while also issuing early numbers of the journals Digraphe and Chorus. During the late 1970s and 1980s, Galilée broadened its catalogue across art theory, social criticism, philosophy, psychoanalysis, politics and literature. Titles by Jean-François Lyotard, Jean Baudrillard, Paul Virilio, Louis Marin, André Gorz, Félix Guattari and others reinforced the house's reputation as a publisher of ambitious and theoretically demanding work. Its list also developed a sustained relationship with artists and with writing about artistic practice, including books concerning Duchamp, contemporary painting and the history of modern art. From the 1990s onward, the catalogue continued to combine established authors with newer philosophical and literary voices. Bernard Stiegler published the first volume of La Technique et le Temps with Galilée in 1994. The house subsequently published or developed works by Philippe Bonnefis, Ignacio Ramonet, Hélène Cixous, Michel Deguy, Serge Margel, Michel Onfray, Marc Crépon, Pascal Quignard, Joseph Cohen and Stéphane Sangral, among many others. By 2008, the catalogue was reported to contain approximately 900 titles, with Michel Delorme serving as both chief executive and editorial director. In 2020, Galilée received an honorary mention from Les Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco, reflecting the continuing recognition of its contribution to philosophical publishing.
History
Éditions Galilée was founded in Paris in 1971 by Michel Delorme. From its beginning, the house developed a programme combining philosophy, literature, art and the human sciences. Its early catalogue was closely connected to the intellectual currents that shaped French theory in the 1970s, especially deconstruction, postmodern thought and critical approaches to language, society and artistic representation. The year 1973 was important for the formation of Galilée's identity. The house published titles by Michel Bosquet, Élisabeth de Fontenay, Jean-Noël Vuarnet, Sarah Kofman, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe and Jean-Luc Nancy. It also published Jacques Derrida's archaeological and philosophical work connected with Condillac. Shortly afterward, Derrida, Nancy, Lacoue-Labarthe and Kofman helped establish the “La philosophie en effet” collection. Derrida's Glas became a foundational title in that series, which provided a durable publishing home for innovative philosophical writing and for work related to deconstruction. Galilée's early literary and cultural list was not limited to philosophy. Georges Perec's Espèces d'espaces appeared in 1974, followed by Alphabets in 1976. Between 1974 and 1975, the house published the first five issues of Digraphe, edited by Jean Ristat, and several issues of Chorus, edited by Pierre Tilman. These periodical projects reflected Galilée's interest in contemporary writing, visual culture and collaborative intellectual networks. Throughout the 1970s, the publisher expanded its relationship with artists and with writers examining artistic production. Its catalogue included work relating to Marcel Duchamp and Wifredo Lam, Jean-Louis Schefer's study of Christian imagery, Louis Marin's writing on painting, and Jean-François Lyotard's work on Duchamp. In 1979, Christian Boltanski designed an original cover for Jean-Marie Touratier's Farce and created a separate cover incorporating a window motif and a sugar cage. Such projects expressed a characteristic Galilée approach in which the physical book, the artist's work and the author's argument could form a single cultural object. The late 1970s and 1980s brought a broad sequence of books in philosophy, cultural criticism, politics, psychoanalysis and art history. The list included Jean Baudrillard's Oublier Foucault and De la séduction, Paul Virilio's Vitesse et politique, André Gorz's Fondements pour une morale, Félix Guattari's Cartographies schizoanalytiques, and works by Jean Oury, Christine Buci-Glucksmann, Michel Ragon and others. Galilée also continued publishing artists and art writers, reinforcing its position between academic theory and the contemporary art world. The catalogue remained active and diversified after 1990. Bernard Stiegler began publishing with Galilée through La Technique et le Temps in 1994. Other authors associated with later phases of the list included Philippe Bonnefis, Ignacio Ramonet, Hélène Cixous, Michel Deguy, Serge Margel, Michel Onfray, Marc Crépon, Pascal Quignard, Joseph Cohen and Stéphane Sangral. These publications extended the house's reach into technology and media theory, geopolitics, poetry, literary studies, Jewish and German philosophy, and contemporary cultural criticism. By 2008, Galilée's catalogue comprised approximately 900 titles, and Michel Delorme was identified as both chief executive and editorial director. The house's main collections included “Débats,” “L'espace critique,” “Incises,” “Écritures / Figures,” “La philosophie en effet” and “Lignes fictives.” Its author list included major figures such as Marc Augé, Yves Bonnefoy, Christine Buci-Glucksmann, Hélène Cixous, Jacques Derrida, Serge Doubrovsky, Jean-François Lyotard, Jean-Luc Nancy, Jacques Rancière, Bernard Stiegler and Paul Virilio. In 2020, Les Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco awarded Éditions Galilée an honorary mention. The available references do not establish a subsequent ownership change, closure or change in editorial direction.
- 2020
Honorary mention from Les Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco
[1]Galilée receives a Mention Honorifique from the Monaco philosophical forum.
- 2008
Catalogue reaches approximately 900 titles
[1]The publisher is reported to have a catalogue of around 900 titles and to be managed by Michel Delorme as chief executive and editorial director.
- 1994
Bernard Stiegler begins publishing with Galilée
[1]La Technique et le Temps I becomes Stiegler's first title for the house and extends its philosophical programme into technology and technical culture.
- 1979
Christian Boltanski creates an artist-designed book cover
[1]Boltanski produces original cover work for Jean-Marie Touratier's Farce, illustrating Galilée's integration of publishing and contemporary artistic practice.
- 1976
Alphabets joins the literary catalogue
[1]Georges Perec's Alphabets further demonstrates the house's commitment to experimental French literature.
- 1974
Galilée publishes Georges Perec and literary journals
[1]Georges Perec's Espèces d'espaces is published, while Galilée also begins issuing early numbers of Digraphe and publishes issues of Chorus.
- 1973
Early theory and philosophy catalogue takes shape
[1]Galilée publishes an important group of works by Sarah Kofman, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe, Jean-Luc Nancy, Élisabeth de Fontenay and other writers associated with contemporary French theory.
- 1973
La philosophie en effet is created
[1]Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Nancy, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe and Sarah Kofman help establish the collection that becomes a major home for deconstructionist and experimental philosophy.
- 1971
Éditions Galilée is founded
[1]Michel Delorme establishes the publishing house in Paris with a programme centered on philosophy, literature, art and the human sciences.
Products and positioning
An intellectually specialized French publisher positioned at the intersection of philosophy, deconstruction, literature, art and the human sciences. Galilée is associated with demanding, theory-led books and with influential French and international thinkers and artists.
Philosophy collection · 1973
La philosophie en effet
A central Galilée collection devoted to innovative philosophical writing, especially work associated with deconstruction and related forms of continental theory. It was created in the publisher's early years with the involvement of Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Nancy, Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe and Sarah Kofman. Derrida's Glas is among its landmark publications.
Essays and intellectual debate
Débats
A Galilée collection associated with essays and interventions in contemporary intellectual debate. It fits the publisher's wider role as a venue for philosophical, political and cultural criticism.
Critical theory and cultural criticism
L'espace critique
A collection focused on critical approaches to culture, society, philosophy and representation. It reflects Galilée's preference for theoretically ambitious work situated between disciplines.
Philosophy and theory
Incises
A collection within Galilée's philosophy and theory programme, contributing to the house's publication of contemporary French and continental intellectual work.
Literature and visual culture
Écritures / Figures
A collection representing the publisher's overlap between writing, visual forms and artistic practice. Its positioning is consistent with Galilée's long-standing interest in books that connect literature, image and theory.
Literature
Lignes fictives
A literary collection associated with Galilée's publication of French writing and fiction-related work alongside its philosophical and critical list.
Experimental literature · 1974
Espèces d'espaces
Georges Perec's book, published by Galilée in 1974, examines space through literary, autobiographical and conceptual forms. It exemplifies the publisher's early engagement with formally inventive French literature.
Deconstructionist philosophy
Glas
Jacques Derrida's formally experimental philosophical work and one of the best-known books associated with the La philosophie en effet collection. Its publication helped establish Galilée's reputation in deconstructionist publishing.
Philosophy of technology · 1994
La Technique et le Temps I
Bernard Stiegler's first title for Galilée, published in 1994. The work extended the house's philosophical programme toward technology, temporality and the role of technical systems in human culture.
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