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Joann Sfar

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Joann Sfar
Joann Sfar, 2015.
Born (1971-08-28) 28 August 1971 (age 53)
Nice, France
NationalityFrench
Area(s)Writer, Artist
Notable works
Les Potamoks
La Fille du professeur
Donjon
Grand Vampire
Le chat du rabbin
AwardsFull list
Spouse(s)Sandrina Jardel (divorced)

Joann Sfar (French pronunciation: [ʒoan sfaʁ]; born 28 August 1971) is a French comics artist, comic book creator, novelist, and film director.

Life and career

Sfar was born in Nice, the son of Lilou, a pop singer, who died when he was three,[1] and André Sfar, a lawyer well known for prosecuting Neo-Nazis.[2] As a result of his mother's early death, Sfar was raised by his father and maternal grandfather, a military doctor of Ukrainian origin in the Alsace-Lorraine Independent Brigade (France) during World War II. Sfar's grandfather reportedly saved the right hand of the brigade's leader, novelist André Malraux, for which he was awarded French citizenship.[1][3]

A wildly prolific artist, he is considered one of the most important artists of the new wave of Franco-Belgian comics, though he has rejected the assertion that he, along with artists like Christophe Blain, Marjane Satrapi, and Lewis Trondheim, sought to create an alternative scene or a new movement in comics.[1] Many of his comics were published by L'Association which was founded in 1990 by Jean-Christophe Menu and six other artists. He also worked together with many of the group's main artists, e.g. David B. and Lewis Trondheim. The Donjon series which he created with Trondheim has a cult following in many countries.[4]

Some of his comics are inspired by his Jewish heritage. Sfar is the son of Jewish parents (an Ashkenazi mother whose family was from the Ukraine and a Sephardic father from Algeria).[5] He himself says that there is Ashkenazi humor in his Professeur Bell series (loosely based on Joseph Bell), whereas Le chat du rabbin is clearly inspired by his Sephardic side. Les olives noires is a series about a Jewish child in Israel at the time of Jesus. Like Le chat du rabbin, the series contains a lot of historical and theological information.

His main influences are Fred and André Franquin as well as Marc Chagall, Chaim Soutine, Will Eisner, Hugo Pratt and John Buscema.[6][7]

From 2009 to 2010, Sfar wrote and directed Gainsbourg: Vie Héroïque, a biopic of the illustrious French songwriter and singer, of whom Sfar is a self-confessed fanatic. The film, which draws substantially on Sfar's abilities as a comic book artist through its extensive use of fantasy artwork, animation and puppetry, was released in 2010 to general critical acclaim.

Partial bibliography

In English

  • Klezmer: Tales of the Wild East, First Second Books, New York, 2006.
  • Vampire Loves, First Second Books, New York, 2006.
  • Sardine in Outer Space, 6 volumes, with Emmanuel Guibert, First Second Books, New York, 2006-2008.
  • The Professor's Daughter, with Emmanuel Guibert, First Second Books, New York, 2007.
  • The Rabbi's Cat, Pantheon, 2007.
  • The Rabbi's Cat 2, Pantheon, 2008.
  • Little Vampire, First Second Books, New York, 2008.
  • Dungeon (since 1998, with Lewis Trondheim and collective)
  • The Little Prince (Comic Adaptation), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York, 2010.

In French

Cover of The Rabbi's Cat (2005)
  • Petrus Barbygère (with Pierre Dubois, scenario)
    • L'elficologue (1996, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-082-2)
    • Le croquemitaine d'écume (1997, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-136-5)
  • Les Potamoks (with José-Luis Munuera, art)
    • 1. Terra Incognita (1996, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-088-1)
    • 2. Les fontaines rouges (1996, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-110-1)
    • 3. Nous et le désert (1997, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-147-0)
  • La Fille du professeur (1997, with Emmanuel Guibert (art), Dupuis, ISBN 2-8001-2481-4)
    • Published in English by First Second Books as The Professor's Daughter (2007), ISBN 1-59643-130-X
  • Donjon (since 1998, with Lewis Trondheim and collective)
  • Le petit monde du Golem (1998, L'Association, ISBN 2-909020-98-3)
  • Troll (with Olivier Boiscommun, art)
    • 3. Mille et un ennuis (1999, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-276-0)
  • Professeur Bell (from #3, with Hervé Tanquerelle, art)
    • 1. Le mexicain à deux têtes (1999, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-257-4)
    • 2. Les poupées de Jérusalem (2000, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-432-1)
    • 3. Le cargo du Roi Singe (2002, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-752-5)
    • 4. Promenade des Anglaises (2003, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84789-187-0)
    • 5. L'Irlande à bicyclette (2006, Delcourt, ISBN 2-7560-0013-2)
  • Urani (2000, with David B, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-04795-7)
  • Grand Vampire
    • 1. Cupidon s'en fout (2001, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-526-3)
    • 2. Mortelles en tête (2002, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-809-2)
    • 3. Transatlantique en solitaire (2002, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84055-941-2)
    • 4. Quai des brunes (2003, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84789-000-9)
      • Books 1-4 published in English as Vampire Loves (2006, First Second, ISBN 1-59643-093-1)
    • 5. La Communauté des magiciens (2004, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84789-262-1)
    • 6. Le peuple est un Golem (2005, Delcourt, ISBN 2-84789-494-2)
  • Les olives noires (with Emmanuel Guibert, art)
    • 1. Pourquoi cette nuit est-elle différente des autres nuits? (2001, Dupuis, ISBN 2-8001-3149-7)
    • 2. Adam Harishon (2002, Dupuis, ISBN 2-8001-3220-5)
    • 3. Tu ne mangeras pas le chevreau dans le lait de sa mère (2003, Dupuis, ISBN 2-8001-3378-3)
  • Le chat du rabbin
    • 1. La Bar-Mitsva (2002, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-05207-1)
    • 2. Le Malka des Lions (2002, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-05369-8)
    • 3. L'exode (2003, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-05497-X)
      • Books 1-3 published in English as The Rabbi's Cat (2005, Pantheon, ISBN 0-375-42281-1)
    • 4. Le Paradis Terrestre (2005, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-05725-1)
    • 5. Jérusalem d'Afrique (2006, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-05868-1)
      • Books 4-5 published in English as The Rabbi's Cat 2 (2008, Pantheon, ISBN 0-375-42507-1)
    • 6. Tu n'auras pas d'autre dieu que moi (2015, Dargaud, ISBN 2-205-07353-2)
  • Klezmer
    • 1. Conquête de l'Est (2005, Gallimard, ISBN 2-07-057309-5)
    • 2. Bon anniversaire Scylla (2006, Gallimard, ISBN 2-07-057552-7)
    • 3. Tous des voleurs! (2007, Gallimard, ISBN 2-07-057868-2)
    • 4. Trapèze volant! (2012, Gallimard ISBN 978-2-07-064315-8)
    • 5. Kishinev-des-fous (2014, Gallimard ISBN 978-2-07-064922-8)
  • Chagall en Russie
    • 1. Première partie (2010, Gallimard ISBN 978-2-07-062825-4)
    • 2. Seconde partie (2011, Gallimard ISBN 978-2-07-063853-6)

Filmography

Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Screenwriter Producer
2010 Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life Yes Yes Also as actor (as Georges Brassens)
César Award for Best First Feature Film
Nominated—César Award for Best Film
Nominated—Lumières Award for Best Film
Nominated—Lumières Award for Best Director
2011 The Rabbi's Cat Yes Yes Yes Also as storyboard artist and voice actor
César Award for Best Animated Film
Cristal Award for Best Feature Film
Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario for Best Adaptation
Nominated—Annie Award for Best Animated Feature
Nominated—European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film
2013 Aya of Yop City Yes
2014 Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet Yes
2015 The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun Yes

Novels

  • L'éternel (2013, Albin Michel, ISBN 2-22-624685-1)

Awards

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c Télérama. "Joann Sfar".
  2. ^ Blog BD de Nice-Matin. "Joann Sfar: "Je pense à un film sur Jacques Médecin"".
  3. ^ L'Express. "Interview de Joann Sfar".
  4. ^ Lambiek Comiclopedia. "Joann Sfar".
  5. ^ George Robinson (2011-08-23). "Being Serge Gainsbourg". The Jewish Week. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  6. ^ Bellefroid, Thierry. "Interview de Joann Sfar" (in French). BDParadisio.
  7. ^ Balaresque, Nicolas. "Entretien avec Joann Sfar" (in French). Parutions.com.
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