Riad Sattouf declares “I’m not French, not Syrian…I’m a cartoonist”
March 31, 2016 in General
The bestselling graphic novelist endured a traumatic childhood in Libya, Syria and France. Then he lost 12 of his colleagues in the Charlie Hebdo slaughter. Now he’s telling his life story frame by frame…
As you’d expect, his nomadic and sometimes painful experiences have shaped the man he is today, informing his notion of what makes a cartoonist: “When you’re an outsider, you observe other people more. I still do this. I’m a watcher. Cartoonists are by definition outsiders: they’re outside literature, art, the establishment.”
Riad Sattouf’s interview with The Guardian’s Rachel Cooke can be read here.
Thanks to Glenn Marshall.
Bill Stott said on March 31, 2016
A fascinating read .
Des Buckley said on April 3, 2016
Blimey, horrifyingly touching interview. I hadn’t heard of this guy before but will look out his work. I like his nuanced take on the legacy of mixed cultural upbringing.