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Par Avion
Excellent Book
- GenresNonfictionPicture Books
89 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Jean-Jacques Sempé
449 books275 followersFrançais:
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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 22, 2020
I only enjoyed the art and the contrasting of French social culture and that of the Big Apple American.
The massive problem is that so much gets lost in translation DOMESTICALLY because only the lavish "society" in Manhattan is examined.
The art is wonderful. There's a fairly even mix of inside and outside and both viewpoints include people rendered with care and flair in a socially expressive style that was conscientious of individual mannerisms and the variance in wardrobe.
WHAT AN INCREDIBLY STUPID IDEA FOR A BOOK if the goal was to cultivate widespread interest. It seems that the publisher was relying entirely on the ethos of Sempé and his following to make it worth printing because it's such a narrow viewpoint that few can or even want to relate to.
->It's the verbatim diary that some French guy wrote about all his interactions during his vacation to Manhattan and ONLY describes his interactions with the wealthiest crust.
Through his perspective you get to "meet" a bunch of families that you have almost or completely nothing in common with unless you grew up wealthy in the comfort of the exclusive "blue book" lifestyle. Only wide outside landscapes feature the other 99%
->The diary prose plods across bottom with @4-15 lines per worded page with very sporadic balloon dialogue that's nearly always very simple exclamations.
IF you have the patience you'll learn some interesting differences in how our languages are spoken in general and colloquially because the writer is proficient enough in English to give insight while those who are bilingual explain the rest to him. You also get a feel for the way they view and engage in social interactions and the differences in the pace of perspective of life in France. It's hard for me to put these things in the correct words without examples but I won't bother because it would take too much rereading that I won't do.
You may not understand these people and most of you will hate them for their relative uppityness and disinterest in us common folk.
The massive problem is that so much gets lost in translation DOMESTICALLY because only the lavish "society" in Manhattan is examined.
The art is wonderful. There's a fairly even mix of inside and outside and both viewpoints include people rendered with care and flair in a socially expressive style that was conscientious of individual mannerisms and the variance in wardrobe.
WHAT AN INCREDIBLY STUPID IDEA FOR A BOOK if the goal was to cultivate widespread interest. It seems that the publisher was relying entirely on the ethos of Sempé and his following to make it worth printing because it's such a narrow viewpoint that few can or even want to relate to.
->It's the verbatim diary that some French guy wrote about all his interactions during his vacation to Manhattan and ONLY describes his interactions with the wealthiest crust.
Through his perspective you get to "meet" a bunch of families that you have almost or completely nothing in common with unless you grew up wealthy in the comfort of the exclusive "blue book" lifestyle. Only wide outside landscapes feature the other 99%
->The diary prose plods across bottom with @4-15 lines per worded page with very sporadic balloon dialogue that's nearly always very simple exclamations.
IF you have the patience you'll learn some interesting differences in how our languages are spoken in general and colloquially because the writer is proficient enough in English to give insight while those who are bilingual explain the rest to him. You also get a feel for the way they view and engage in social interactions and the differences in the pace of perspective of life in France. It's hard for me to put these things in the correct words without examples but I won't bother because it would take too much rereading that I won't do.
You may not understand these people and most of you will hate them for their relative uppityness and disinterest in us common folk.
January 4, 2018
Mignons petits témoignages d'un français découvrant New-York et les new-yorkais. Des anecdotes illustrées, drôles et touchantes, que l'on lit en une bouchée !
April 26, 2021
A beautiful and witty graphic novel about a frenchman’s impressions on New York. The illustrations have all the charm that characterises Sempé, which sees New York as an immense city of colourful and positive (to the point of naivety) characters, a place of culture and the will to always be creative and curious.
Par Avion is an ode to Sempé’s admiration to New York, where he also illustrates his personal experiences while living there when he was working for the New Yorker.
Par Avion is an ode to Sempé’s admiration to New York, where he also illustrates his personal experiences while living there when he was working for the New Yorker.
January 17, 2009
I don't think this book is released in English.
I read this book in Korean. His writing and sketches made me smile and think twice.
I read this book in Korean. His writing and sketches made me smile and think twice.
June 6, 2010
Neat ! Only a little dated perhaps -- no mobiles etc :-)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews