- Written by Hugh Schofield
- BBC News, Paris
La Bousie du Sapeur satirically covers a wide range of topics from politics to sports to international affairs
The world’s only quadrennial, or newspaper published once every four years, is back in kiosks in France with a new issue of the satirical La Bougee du Sapeur.
The peculiarity of this 20-page tabloid is that it is published only on February 29th, meaning it is published once every leap year.
First published in 1980, this is the 12th issue.
Conceived by a group of friends who “wanted to laugh”, La Bougie du Sapeur (The Sapper’s Candle) has a print run of 200,000 copies.
Priced at €4.90 (£4.20), it’s well worth the cost.
“After the first issue sold out in two days, the newsagents wanted more copies, so we said OK, four years later!” says editor Jean Dandy. Masu. He is the editor of the French edition and his main work is the Jockey Club.
“The newspaper is still published by a few friends. We get together in the bar, have a drink and brainstorm ideas. We have a lot of fun, and it would be great if our readers did too. That’s a bonus,” Dindi said. .
With an anti-politically correct style, La Bousie is structured like a regular newspaper, with sections on politics, sports, international affairs, art, puzzles and celebrity gossip.
Jean d’Indy edits La Bousie du Sapeur…but only every four years
However, the article is designed as a humorous commentary. This issue’s headline, “We’re all getting smarter,” is above an article about how AI will make exams and intellectual attainment unnecessary.
The second lead story, titled “What Men Should Know Before Becoming Women,” discusses what are described as “challenges” faced by men who wish to change their gender.
“This is French humor and it doesn’t translate to other languages,” says Dindi. “We try to be silly, but not mean. We try to tease without being cruel.”
On the international pages there is a short article reminding the French of the most “unforgettable” of modern British prime ministers, Liz Truss.
And in the field of sports, the editors recommend creating a Winston Churchill Award for the first person to lose at an Olympics. According to the newspaper, this is based on Churchill’s motto of “no sport”.
There is also a serialized version of “The Drowning in the Pool,” with the next serialization scheduled for 2028.
La Bousie du Sapeur is named after one of the earliest French comic book characters, Le Sapeure Camembert. He was a simple soldier who appeared in his 1890s cartoons depicting life in the army.
This newspaper will not be published online and will only be available for purchase in newsagents and newsstands.
“I hope we get a little bit of fresh air every four years,” Dindi says. “People need to be able to laugh these days.”