Joann Sfar
| Joann Sfar | |
|---|---|
 Joann Sfar, 2015. | |
| Born | 28 August 1971 Nice,France |
| Nationality | French |
| Area(s) | Writer, Artist |
Notable works | Les Potamoks La Fille du professeur Donjon Grand Vampire Le chat du rabbin |
| Awards | Full list |
| Spouse(s) | Sandrina Jardel (divorced) |
Joann Sfar(French:[ʒoansfaʁ];born 28 August 1971) is a Frenchcomics artist,comic book creator,novelist,andfilm director.
Life and career[edit]
Sfar was born inNice,the son ofLilou,a pop singer, who died when he was three,[1]and André Sfar, a lawyer well known for prosecutingNeo-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 theAlsace-Lorraine Independent Brigade (France)duringWorld War II.Sfar's grandfather reportedly saved the right hand of the brigade's leader, novelistAndré 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 ofFranco-Belgian comics,though he has rejected the assertion that he, along with artists such asChristophe Blain,Marjane Satrapi,andLewis Trondheim,sought to create an alternative scene or a new movement in comics.[1]Many of his comics were published byL'Associationwhich was founded in 1990 byJean-Christophe Menuand six other artists. He also worked with many of the group's main artists, e.g.David B.and Lewis Trondheim. TheDonjonseries, 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 ofJewishparents (anAshkenazimother whose family was fromUkraineand aSephardicfather fromAlgeria).[5]He himself says that there is Ashkenazi humor in hisProfesseur Bellseries (loosely based onJoseph Bell), whereasLe chat du rabbinis clearly inspired by his Sephardic side.Les olives noiresis a series about a Jewish child living inIsraelat the time ofJesus.LikeLe chat du rabbin,the series contains a lot of historical and theological information.
His main influences areFredandAndré Franquin,as well asMarc Chagall,Chaïm Soutine,Will Eisner,Hugo PrattandJohn Buscema.[6][7]
From 2009 to 2010, Sfar wrote and directedGainsbourg: 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.
Sfar's bookL’Eternelhas been adapted for a live-action drama entitledMonsters’ ShrinkbyCanal plus.[8]
Partial bibliography[edit]
In English[edit]
- 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, withEmmanuel 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, withLewis Trondheimand collective)
- The Little Prince(Comic Adaptation),Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,New York, 2010.
- Pascin,Uncivilized Books, 2016.
In French[edit]
- Petrus Barbygère(with Pierre Dubois, scenario)
- L'elficologue(1996, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-082-2)
- Le croquemitaine d'écume(1997, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-136-5)
- Les Potamoks(with José-Luis Munuera, art)
- 1.Terra Incognita(1996, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-088-1)
- 2.Les fontaines rouges(1996, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-110-1)
- 3.Nous et le désert(1997, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-147-0)
- La Fille du professeur(1997, with Emmanuel Guibert (art), Dupuis,ISBN2-8001-2481-4)
- Published in English byFirst Second BooksasThe Professor's Daughter(2007),ISBN1-59643-130-X
- Donjon(since 1998, withLewis Trondheimand collective)
- Le petit monde du Golem(1998, L'Association,ISBN2-909020-98-3)
- Troll(with Olivier Boiscommun, art)
- 3.Mille et un ennuis(1999, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-276-0)
- Professeur Bell(from #3, with Hervé Tanquerelle, art)
- 1.Le mexicain à deux têtes(1999, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-257-4)
- 2.Les poupées de Jérusalem(2000, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-432-1)
- 3.Le cargo du Roi Singe(2002, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-752-5)
- 4.Promenade des Anglaises(2003, Delcourt,ISBN2-84789-187-0)
- 5.L'Irlande à bicyclette(2006, Delcourt,ISBN2-7560-0013-2)
- Urani(2000, withDavid B,Dargaud,ISBN2-205-04795-7)
- Grand Vampire
- 1.Cupidon s'en fout(2001, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-526-3)
- 2.Mortelles en tête(2002, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-809-2)
- 3.Transatlantique en solitaire(2002, Delcourt,ISBN2-84055-941-2)
- 4.Quai des brunes(2003, Delcourt,ISBN2-84789-000-9)
- Books 1-4 published in English asVampire Loves(2006, First Second,ISBN1-59643-093-1)
- 5.La Communauté des magiciens(2004, Delcourt,ISBN2-84789-262-1)
- 6.Le peuple est un Golem(2005, Delcourt,ISBN2-84789-494-2)
- Les olives noires(with Emmanuel Guibert, art)
- 1.Pourquoi cette nuit est-elle différente des autres nuits?(2001, Dupuis,ISBN2-8001-3149-7)
- 2.Adam Harishon(2002, Dupuis,ISBN2-8001-3220-5)
- 3.Tu ne mangeras pas le chevreau dans le lait de sa mère(2003, Dupuis,ISBN2-8001-3378-3)
- Le chat du rabbin
- 1.La Bar-Mitsva(2002, Dargaud,ISBN2-205-05207-1)
- 2.Le Malka des Lions(2002, Dargaud,ISBN2-205-05369-8)
- 3.L'exode(2003, Dargaud,ISBN2-205-05497-X)
- Books 1-3 published in English asThe Rabbi's Cat(2005, Pantheon,ISBN0-375-42281-1)
- 4.Le Paradis Terrestre(2005, Dargaud,ISBN2-205-05725-1)
- 5.Jérusalem d'Afrique(2006, Dargaud,ISBN2-205-05868-1)
- Books 4-5 published in English asThe Rabbi's Cat 2(2008, Pantheon,ISBN0-375-42507-1)
- 6.Tu n'auras pas d'autre dieu que moi(2015, Dargaud,ISBN2-205-07353-2)
- Klezmer
- 1.Conquête de l'Est(2005, Gallimard,ISBN2-07-057309-5)
- 2.Bon anniversaire Scylla(2006, Gallimard,ISBN2-07-057552-7)
- 3.Tous des voleurs!(2007, Gallimard,ISBN2-07-057868-2)
- 4.Trapèze volant!(2012, GallimardISBN978-2-07-064315-8)
- 5.Kishinev-des-fous(2014, GallimardISBN978-2-07-064922-8)
- Chagall en Russie
- 1.Première partie(2010, GallimardISBN978-2-07-062825-4)
- 2.Seconde partie(2011, GallimardISBN978-2-07-063853-6)
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Screenwriter | Producer | |||
| 2010 | Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life | Yes | Yes | Also as actor (asGeorges 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 | Based on his comic series; 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 | Nominated—César Award for Best Animated Film | ||
| 2014 | Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet | Yes | |||
| 2015 | The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun | Yes | |||
| 2020 | Little Vampire | Yes | Yes | Based on his comic series Nominated—César Award for Best Animated Film | |
Novels[edit]
- L'éternel(2013, Albin Michel,ISBN2-22-624685-1)
- Le Plus Grand Philosophe de France(2014, Albin Michel,ISBN2-22-625824-8)
Awards[edit]
- 1998:Award for First Comic BookandRené Goscinny Awardat theAngoulême International Comics Festival,France
- 2000: Nominated forBest Comic Bookand for theYouth Award (9 to 12 years)at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
- Nominated for the Best Long Comic Strip at theHaxtur AwardsSpain
- Nominated for Best International Writer at theMax & Moritz Prizes,Germany
- 2001: Nominated forBest Scenarioand for theHumour Awardat the Angoulême International Comics Festival
- 2002: Nominated forBest Artworkand theCanal BD Awardat the Angoulême International Comics Festival
- 2003:Oecumenic Jury AwardandPolish awardat the Angoulême International Comics Festival
- Nominated for Best Comic Book, for the Canal BD Award, and for thePrix de la critiqueat the Angoulême International Comics Festival
- 2004:Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême:30th anniversary prize, France
- Award for Best Youth Album (7 to 8 years)at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
- Best International Series at thePrix Saint-Michel,Belgium
- Nominated forBest Seriesat the Angoulême International Comics Festival
- Best International Writer at theMax & Moritz Prizes,Germany
- 2005: Nominated for Best Artwork at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
- 2006:Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Materialat theEisner Awards,United States
- Nominated for theAudience Awardand for Best Series at the Angoulême International Comics Festival
- 2007:Sproing Award,for Best Foreign translated material,Rabbinerens katt(Le chat du rabbin),Norway
- Nominated for Outstanding Series at theIgnatz Awards,United States
References[edit]
- Joann Sfar albumsBedetheque(in French)
Footnotes
- ^abcTélérama (4 June 2011)."Joann Sfar".
- ^Blog BD de Nice-Matin."Joann Sfar:" Je pense à un film sur Jacques Médecin "".
- ^L'Express (24 January 2011)."Interview de Joann Sfar".
- ^Lambiek Comiclopedia."Joann Sfar".
- ^George Robinson (2011-08-23)."Being Serge Gainsbourg".The Jewish Week. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-06-30.Retrieved2012-03-15.
- ^Bellefroid, Thierry."Interview de Joann Sfar"(in French). BDParadisio.
- ^Balaresque, Nicolas."Entretien avec Joann Sfar"(in French). Parutions.com.
- ^Tartaglione, Nancy (2017-07-27)."Canal Plus Books Appointment With Joann Sfar's 'Monsters' Shrink' Vampire Series".Deadline.Retrieved2017-08-21.
External links[edit]
- Joann SfaratIMDb
- Le petit monde de Joan Sfar(in French)
- Le vaste monde de Joann Sfar(in French)
- Joann Sfar biographyon Lambiek Comiclopedia
- Joann Sfar interviewon BDParadisio(in French)
- Joann Sfar interviewon Parutions(in French)
- Joann Sfar interviewon NPR
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1971 births
- Living people
- 21st-century French Jews
- Artists from Nice
- French comics artists
- French comics writers
- Jewish French artists
- École des Beaux-Arts alumni
- Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
- French film directors
- French male screenwriters
- French screenwriters
- French film producers
- Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême winners
- French people of Algerian-Jewish descent
- French people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
- Writers who illustrated their own writing