WS131 Bilingual Books: The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, (L'Arabe du futur) 1978-1984: A Graphic Memoir

Riad Sattouf’s L'Arabe du futur is a graphic work that won the prestigious Fauve d’Or at the Angoulême Festival de la bande dessinée in 2015.

This deeply personal account of his childhood, ranging from rural France to Libya and then Syria, is drawn in a simple yet confident and expressive style, and his observations of people and hypocrisy, cowardice and the absurd are finely textured.  The theme of cross-cultural alienation has been exhaustively explored in literature, yet Sattouf's take brims with life and dark humour. 

‘Exquisitely illustrated, and filled with experiences of misfortune bordering on the farcical, Mr. Sattouf’s book is a disquieting yet essential read.’ The New York Times 

‘L’Arabe du futur confirme la place de son auteur dans la bande dessinée contemporaine, aux côtés des autres « grands » de sa génération.’ Le Monde

Registrations open Saturday 7 September