France to Honor Paris’s Last Newspaper Seller - Still Selling by Hand After 51 Years

In the heart of Paris’s Latin Quarter, where stylish cafés line cobbled streets, one man still strolls daily with a bundle of newspapers under his arm and a warm smile on his face. His name is Ali Akbar, a 73-year-old immigrant from Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and for the past 51 years, he has been selling newspapers by hand - a practice nearly extinct in the digital age.

Next month, in a rare gesture of national gratitude, President Emmanuel Macron will present Akbar with the Ordre national du Mérite, one of France’s highest civilian honors, in recognition of his decades of service to French society and culture.

Akbar’s journey began in 1973, standing outside Sorbonne University selling satirical papers like Charlie Hebdo to students. Even then, hand-selling newspapers was a dying trade, slowly overtaken by television - and later, digital media. But Akbar stayed loyal to the craft.

“I just love the feel of paper,” he told Reuters. “I don’t like tablets and all those things. But I do love to read. Real books. Never on screens.”

He now sells about 20 copies of Le Monde in an eight-hour shift. “Today, everything is digital. People just don’t buy papers,” he admits. But quitting isn’t on his radar.

“I have a special way of selling papers,” he says. “I try to make people laugh. I want them to feel good, to create an atmosphere. I try to reach their hearts, not their wallets.”

In a district where bookshops are vanishing and luxury boutiques take their place, Akbar has become a symbol of authenticity. “Ali is an institution,” says longtime customer Marie-Laure Carrier. “I buy Le Monde from him every day. It’s not just about the newspaper - it’s about the connection. Sometimes we have coffee, even lunch together.”

Soon, this beloved street icon will step briefly into the national spotlight, receiving official recognition for a lifetime of quiet, meaningful presence in the heart of Paris.