He was one of France's best-selling authors and illustrators: Who is Jean-Jacques Sempe?
The French illustrator, best known for his Le Petit Nicolas series, was also a cycling lover. He saw the bicycle as the joy of life.
Sempe, who wanted to be a jazz pianist as a child but dropped out of school and joined the army, later found a job as an illustrator. Close friends with Rene Goscinny, one of the creators of the Asterix series, Sempe's drawings have sold more than 15 million copies in 45 countries. Sempe's soft lines and jokes, whose works have been translated into movies and cartoons, became his trademark.
Sempe, who had a difficult childhood in foster families, said in a statement in 2018 that “Le Petit Nicolas series reminds me of the difficulties I experienced as a child and shows that everything will turn out well.”
WHO IS JEAN-JACQUES SEMPE?
Born in Bordeaux, France on August 17, 1932, the artist was known as the illustrator of Le Petit Nicolas books. From 1957 Paris Match, Punch, L'Express, Pilote, New York Times, New Yorker, etc. He worked as a cartoonist for newspapers and magazines.
Sempé died on August 11, 2022, six days before his 90th birthday. French President Emmanuel Macron issued a message of condolence on his Twitter account on the death of Sempé.
Le Petit Nicolas's adventures were written by Rene Goscinny and Sempé drew. The series began to be published in the Belgian magazine Mustique in 1956 and lasted until 1965. In fact, both the author nor the illustrator did not think of anything long-term at first, but they moved on because of their interest in the series.
Since that day, who knows how many generations have been addicted to the stories told by this lovely boy and illustrated with the soft lines of Sempé.
Bicycling, the bicycle magazine published in the USA, published an article immediately after the death of the illustrator.
The article by Molly Hurford describes his love for two wheels, not just as an illustrator but as a user. Hurford quotes Sempé's 2014 interview with the New Yorker magazine, quoting the following sentences:
Cycling is the joy of my life. I've been cycling everywhere for 30 years. I use it whatever the weather. Sometimes I even go to an elegant party by bike, and I use hem tape for my trousers.
(The New Yorker recalls that Sempé could no longer ride a bicycle due to a stroke a few years ago, but continued to draw, even drawing bicycles on the "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"-themed coins requested by the French State Mint.)