Journaling… like every other human endeavor, there exists a narrow sliver of people who raise this seemingly simple practice to the level of a refined and illuminating art. Such is the case with graphic novelist Craig Thompson’s Carnet de Voyage. In the spring of 2004, Thompson traveled to Europe to…
Many of us are familiar with the delightful illustrations of Jean-Jacques Sempé, who inadvertently described himself by saying « Il m’est arrivé de devenir, par moments, raisonnable, mais jamais adulte », “It occurred to me, every now and then, to be sensible, but never adult.” Sempé became widely known in France after…
To lighten the stressful atmosphere around election 2024, this week’s post features several minutes of fun French humor with a handful of French brain teasers at the end. Enjoy! Learn to recognize the tracks of different animals. A week ago, I bought a book titled, “Learn to Know Yourself.”That makes…
Last month, I finished reading the 6th and final book in the graphic novel series, L’Arabe du futur, by Riad Sattouf. Every volume of this autobiographical bande dessinée has been a bestseller in France and translated into over 20 languages. Sattouf, whose mother is French and father is Syrian, zigzagged…
I’ve long been fascinated by stories that take place in the Middle East and as a bande dessinée fanatic, when I come across a French graphic memoir that tackles the subject, I often can’t resist obtaining a copy. Such was the case last month when I discovered the French-Lebanese author…
Since translating a French military citation for a friend, I’ve been on a bit of a World War I jag. Both of my grandfathers served in the American military during the Great War. Yet, luckily for me, neither served as soldiers. One worked in a Washington bureau; the other drove…
As we ring in 2022, here are holiday gags from some of my favorite French cartoonists, along with English translations. I’ve also included a charming little video for those of you who do or do not speak French. Thank you to everyone who’s read or commented on my blog in…
Claire Bretécher was one of France’s most prominent socio-satirical comic strip authors for more than 4 decades. Bretécher is an icon in the world of bandes dessinées who has served as a role model to aspiring dessinatrices that dream of becoming successful cartoonists. Born in 1940, Bretécher broke into comics…
