Author Profile: Riad Sattouf is a French cartoonist, comic artist and film director of Franco-Syrian origin.
Name: Riad Sattouf
Timeline:
2004 – No Sex In New York
2007 – La vie secretes des jeunes
2014 – The Arab of the Future: A Childhood In The Middle East
2015 – The Arab of the Future 2: A Childhood In The Middle East
2017 – Les cahiers d’Esther
Background: Riad Sattouf was born on 5th May 1978 in Paris, France. He is 41 years of age. His parents are Clementine Sattouf (French mother) and Abdel-Razak Sattouf (Syrian father). Riad Sattouf spent his younger years in Syria and Libya and then went as a teenager to France, Brittany to study in Rennes. Since he was an avid reader and fascinated about books, his grandmother sent him periodicals and cartoon books to read. He enrolled for studies in animation though he wanted to become a pilot. His talent was noticed by Oliver Vatine the famous cartoonist and he introduced him to the publisher in specializing cartoons and owner of Delcourt, Guy Delcourt. Petit Verglas, the first book of Riad Sattouf was published by Delcourt.
Genre: His works include narrating his observations in the most humorous and unique style, about life during his adolescent years. He has condemned circumcision as an absurd and cruel act, superimposed on the social-political life context in the 1980s in his ancestral Syria, in his work ‘Ma circoncision’.
Literary Contributions: Riad Sattouf is known well for L’Arabe du futur, an award winning graphic memoir pentalgy. Les Beaux Gossess is his award winning film. His illustrated book is La vie secrete des jeunes. Jeremie are Riad Sattouf’s book series. His most notable and award winning film is The French Kissers.
Unique Stylistic Features:
Riad Sattouf spent around ten years from 2004 to mid 2014, writing for Charlie Hebdo, a satirical French weekly. He published drawing boards of La vie secrete des jeunes, one of his major works.
In the year 2015 English speaking readers began recognizing him, thanks to The Arab of the Future, which follows his childhood as he moves from the place where his mother was born, France to the place where his father was born Syria and then Libya. The Arab of the Future runs into two volumes One and Two with reference to the increasing whims of his authoritarian father. Both the volumes are a mix of sharp observation, dry humour and darkness. The third volume of The Arab of the Future is due in a few months.
