Panic Stations

by Jean-Jacques Sempé (Illustrator)

The Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms describes the phrase 'panic stations' as the ''a time when you feel extremely anxious and you must act quickly because something needs to be done urgently.'' An No matter how organized you think you are, one hour before the show starts it's panic stations.



When this collection of illustrations and cartoons was first published in 1966, Jean-Jacques Sempé had great difficulty coming up with a title. He waited until the last possible minute to make his decision, getting more and more wound up about the whole infernal naming process, hence the original French title of the book, La grande panique . But there is no cause for alarm, no need to man the proverbial panic this book is laugh-out-loud funny, as one would expect from one of the great masters of the form.



In Panic Stations , Sempé explores some of his favorite themes, such as unspoken truths, failed communications, and hidden talents. There are men who talk to their cars while others hope to make contact with creatures from distant planets. There are women yearning for long-vanished civilizations, girls dreaming of pop stardom, and children getting up to no good, as usual.



Sempé's laconic, perfectly judged texts have been translated from the original French by Anthea Bell, the acclaimed translator who also helped bring Asterix the Gaul to the English-speaking world.

120 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Français:
À 17 ans, Sempé roule à bicyclette pour un courtier en vins. En 1960, il démarre avec René Goscinny l'aventure du petit Nicolas, dressant une inoubliable galerie de portraits d' "affreux jojos qui tapissent depuis notre imaginaire" (dixit Goscinny). Son humour fin, subtil et allusif allié à un formidable sens du dérisoire caractérisent toute son ouvre. Sa plume traduit sa vision tendrement ironique de nos travers et des travers du monde. Aujourd'hui, Sempé est l'auteur d'une trentaine d'albums. En 1988, il a illustré Catherine Certitude, de Patrick Modiano. Il dessine régulièrement pour L'Express, Télérama, le New Yorker et expose ses dessins et ses aquarelles à Munich, New York, Londres ou Salzburg, où il rencontre toujours un très vif succès.

English:
Jean-Jacques Sempé, usually known as Sempé (French: [sɑ̃pe]), is a French cartoonist. He is known for the series of children's books he created with René Goscinny, Le petit Nicolas, and also for his poster-like illustrations, usually drawn from a distant or high viewpoint depicting detailed countrysides or cities.

Reviews

[Flora Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

2015/9/24

[Shaghayegh · Rating 5 out of 5]

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