Sempé Panic Stations - Hardcover

Bell, Anthea; Sempé, Jean-Jacques

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0714846740 ISBN 13: 9780714846743

Publisher: Phaidon Press, 2009

Synopsis

The Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms describes the phrase 'panic stations' as the following: ''a time when you feel extremely anxious and you must act quickly because something needs to be done urgently.'' An example: 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 stations: 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.

About this title

About the Author:

Jean-Jacques Sempé (b. 1932) is one of the world's most successful illustrators and cartoonists. He is the illustrator of the classic children's book character, Nicholas, and author of a collection of some thirty albums of his cartoons and graphic novels, all published or to be published by Phaidon Press. His world-renowned illustrations and cartoons are featured on the cover of The New Yorker and in Paris Match.

Review:

"Sempe goes about showing us up with great good nature. ... his drawing is consistently delightful."-Anthea Bell, Sunday Telegraph "Drawings [that] are eloquent in every language."-Quentin Blake, The Week "[Sempe] is, par excellence, the master of the panoramic cartoon... Captions [...] have been brilliantly translated by Anthea Bell... There are many talented French cartoonists. [...] [Sempe] is the most universal... Sempe cartoons are a kind of illustrative haiku. In such small space he conveys a great amount of meaning... An infinite delight in the complexity and ambivalence - and the humour - of the everyday and the ordinary."-The Independent "[Sempe] started life as a journeyman cartoonist, drawing single gags. From there he has gradually broadened out and blossomed, acquiring colour and boldness and breadth, until it is hard to call him anything but an artist... You can't really lose with Sempe."-The Spectator

About this edition

• Publisher: Phaidon Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0714846740
• ISBN 13: 9780714846743
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 112