Sfar, Joann 1971-

Personal

Born August 28, 1971, in France. Education: Attended École des Beaux Arts. Religion: Jewish.

Addresses

Home—France. E-mail—joannsfar@pastis.org.

Career

Writer and illustrator, 1994—.

Awards, Honors

René Goscinny Award, Angoulême International Comics Festival, 1998; Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême, 2004; Best International Series designation, Prix Saint-Michel (Belgium), 2004; Best International Writer designation, Max und Moritz prizes (Germany), 2004; Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material, 2006; Sproing award (Norway) for best foreign translated material, 2007, for Le chat du Rabbin.

Writings

COLLECTED COMIC BOOKS; SELF-ILLUSTRATED

(With Emmanuel Guibert) La fille du professeur (graphic novel), Dupuis (Marcinelle, Belgium), 1997, translated by Alexis Siegel as The Professor's Daughter, First Second (New York, NY), 2007.

(With Lewis Trondheim) Dungeon: Zenith, Volume 2: The Barbarian Princess ("Donjon" series; includes La princesse des barbares and Sortilege et avatar), NBM (New York, NY), 2000.

Vampire Loves ("Grand Vampire" series, volumes 1-4; originally published 2001-03), translated by Alexis Siegel, First Second (New York, NY), 2006.

Le chat du Rabbin (includes volumes 1-3; originally published, 2002), Poisson Pilote, 2005, translated as The Rabbi's Cat, Pantheon (New York, NY), 2005.

Little Vampire Does Kung Fu! ("Petit vampire" series), translated by Mark and Alexis Siegel, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2003.

Little Vampire Goes to School ("Petit vampire" series), translated by Mark and Alexis Siegel, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Lewis Trondheim) Dungeon: Zenith ("Donjon" series), NBM (New York, NY), 2004.

Les carnets, L'Association, 2005.

Grand Vampire 6, Delcourt (Paris, France), 2005.

Petit Vampire et le reve de Tokyo ("Petit vampire" series), Delcourt (Paris, France), 2005.

(With Lewis Trondheim) Donjon: Stanislas ("Donjon" series), Delcourt (Paris, France), 2005.

(With Lewis Trondheim) Donjon: Bercovici (monster 11) ("Donjon" series), Delcourt (Paris, France), 2005.

Pasquin, L'Association, 2005.

Petit Vampire et les enfants perdus ("Petit vampire" series), Delcourt (Paris, France), 2005, translated as Petit Vampire 8, 2005.

(With Lewis Trondheim) Dungeon: The Early Years ("Donjon" series; contains Donjon potron-minet, la chemise de la nuit and Donjon potron-minut, un justicier dans l'ennui), illustrated by Christophe Blain, NBM (New York, NY), 2005.

Klezmer ("Tales of the Wild East" series; originally published, 2005), translated by Alexis Siegel, First Second (New York, NY), 2006.

(With Lewis Trondheim) Dungeon: Twilight: Volume 1: Dragon Cemetery ("Donjon" series), illustrated by Kerascoet, translated by Joe Johnson, NBM (New York, NY), 2006.

(With Lewis Trondheim) Dungeon: Parade: Volume One: A Dungeon Too Many ("Donjon" series), illustrated by Manu Larcenet, NBM (New York, NY), 2007.

(With Lewis Trondheim) Dungeon: Twilight: Volume 2: Armageddon ("Donjon" series), illustrated by Kerascoet, translated by Joe Johnson, NBM (New York, NY), 2007.

Also author, with Trondheim, of collected comic books Dungeon: Zenith, Volume 1 and Dungeon: Parade, Volume 1. Author of other comic series, including (with José-Luis Munuera) "Les Potamoks," 1996-97; (with Pierre Dubois) "Pétrus Barbygère," 1997-97; "Le petit monde du Golem," 1998; (with Olivier Boiscommun) "Troll," 1999; (with Hervé Tanguerelle) "Le professeur Bell," 1999-2006; "La petite bibliothèque philosophique de Joann Sfar"; "Ukulélé"; "Harmonica"; "Socrate le demi-chien"; "Le minuscule mousquetaire"; "Le Borgne Gauchet"; "La ville des mauvais Reves"; "Merlin"; and "Paris-Londres."

Works have been translated into several languages, including German, French, Polish, and Dutch.

"LES OLIVES NOIRES" SERIES; COMICS

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Pourquoi cette nuit est-elle différente des autres nuits?, Dupuis (Marcinelle, Belgium), 2001.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Adam Harishon, Dupuis (Marcinelle, Belgium), 2002.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Tu ne mangeras pas le chevreau dans le lait de sa mère, Dupuis (Marcinelle, Belgium), 2003.

ILLUSTRATOR; "SARDINE IN OUTER SPACE"/"SARDINE DE L'ESPACE" COMIC-BOOK COLLECTIONS

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Sardine de l'espace: le doigt dans l'oeil, Broché (Paris, France), 2000, translated by Sasha Watson as Sardine in Outer Space: Volume One, First Second (New York, NY), 2006.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Sardine de l'espace 2: le bar des ennemis, Broché (Paris, France), 2000, translated by Sasha Watson as Sardine in Outer Space: Volume Two, First Second (New York, NY), 2006.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Sardine de l'espace 3: la machine à laver la cervelle, Broché (Paris, France), 2001, translated by Sasha Watson as Sardine in Outer Space: Volume Three, First Second (New York, NY), 2007.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Sardine de l'espace 4: Les voleurs de Yaourt, Broché (Paris, France), 2001, translated by Sasha Watson as Sardine in Outer Space: Volume Four, First Second (New York, NY), 2007.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Sardine de l'espace 5: le championnat de Boxe, Broché (Paris, France), 2002.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Sardine de l'espace 6: le capitaine tout rouge, Broché (Paris, France), 2002.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Sardine de l'espace 7: le grande sardine, Broché (Paris, France), 2003.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Sardine de l'espace 8: les tatouages carnivores, Broché (Paris, France), 2003.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Sardine de l'espace 9: les montagne électorale, Cartonné (Paris, France), 2004.

(With Emmanuel Guibert) Sardine de l'espace 10: le cyber disc-jockey, Album, 2005.

Sidelights

French writer and cartoonist Joann Sfar made his comic debut in 1994 with the comic-book series "Les adventures d' Ossour Hyrsidoux." Since then Sfar has gone on to win accolades as one of the most popular "new generation" of graphic novelists in Europe. His comic-book series, which have been collected into book-length volumes and translated into several languages, include "Les Potamoks," "Le professeur Bell," "Petit vampire," and "Le fille du professeur." Many of Sfar's series have special appeal for younger readers, and his award-winning "Sardine in Outer Space" and "Little Vampire" graphic novels have gained a loyal following among English-language readers.

Utilizing a comic-strip format, the compilation volumes Little Vampire Does Kung Fu! and Little Vampire Goes to School introduce readers to Little Vampire. In Little Vampire Goes to School Sfar's young bloodsucker is lonely because he must attend school at night all by himself. Against his teacher's advice, Little Vampire summons a crazy cast of friends, ranging from the Captain of the Dead to a handful of ghosts, to attend school with him. After discovering a human student's school book, Little Vampire begins to communicate with the boy, Michael, and the two are soon writing back and forth. When the captain of the Dead discovers what has been going on, he immediately wants to meet Michael to ensure that no ghostly secrets are revealed. A Publishers Weekly critic commented in a review of Little Vampire Goes to School that "readers of European series … will recognize Sfar's baroque illustration style and dense plotting, which recommends itself to an experienced audience."

Sfar continues the adventures of his nocturnal protagonist in Little Vampire Does Kung Fu! This time around Michael enlists the help of his new ghostly friends to help him get revenge on a school bully. When the apparitions accidentally eat the bully, Michael must sew his schoolmate back together in order to bring the boy back to life. Sfar's text is accompanied by his bright illustrations, which School Library Journal reviewer Steven Engelfried wrote "worked effectively with the intentionally wild plot." Engelfried noted that, while "the mildly gruesome illustration and off-the-wall storytelling will not appeal to all kids, … fans of comics, silliness, and dark humor will appreciate the unusual approach." Booklist critic Francisca Goldsmith also enjoyed Sfar's book, commenting that Little Vampire Does Kung Fu! "is a wonderful starting place for American kids to discover the fantastic possibilities of contemporary French comics."

Sfar joins with frequent collaborator Emmanuel Guibert to create the whimsical "Sardine in Outer Space" series. In the first volume, readers meet Sardine, Little Louie, and piratical Captain Yellow Shoulder, and follow the trio's adventures speeding through the galaxy in their oddly shaped space ship. During their interplanetary jaunts, they encounter a host of unusual creatures, such as the cha-cha flies of planet Ouchypoo and the trouble- making Supermuscleman. Noting the series' appeal to middle-grade readers, Kliatt reviewer George Galuschak cited the "potty humor" and "lively, imaginative stories" and in School Library Journal Dawn Rutherford wrote that the crew's adventures "are unrelentingly silly and will leave readers giggling." In Booklist, Francisca Goldsmith concluded that Sfar's "bouncy, bright art perfectly suits the Sardine troop's energy and sass," while School Library Journal contributor Benjamin Russell described it as "scratchy and primitive," adding that the author's drawings "also contain … the sort of raw, grotesque sensibility that so often clicks with young readers."

The collaborative series collected as The Professor's Daughter was actually written by Sfar to showcase Guibert's art. First published in France as La fille du professeur, the award-winning comic series follows the growing love between a mummy and the daughter of an academic. Another collaboration with Guibert, "Les olives noires" takes readers back to the days of Jesus as it follows a young Jew traveling through the land of Judea. A long-running collaboration with author Lewis Trondheim, the "Dungeon" series first appeared in 1998 and follows an unfolding saga in a fanciful fantasy world.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2003, Francisca Goldsmith, review of Little Vampire Does Kung Fu!, p. 242; September 1, 2006, Jesse Karp, review of Sardine in Outer Space 2, p. 128; November 15, 2006, Tina Coleman, review of Armageddon: Dungeon: Twilight, p. 39; March 15, 2007, Tina Coleman, review of The Professor's Daughter, p. 56; Francisca Goldsmith, review of Sardine in Outer Space 3, p. 64.

Horn Book, July-August, 2007, Tanya D. Auger, review of The Professor's Daughter, p. 403.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2003, review of Little Vampire Does Kung Fu!, p. 1023; August 15, 2006, review of Sardine in Outer Space 2, p. 841; January 15, 2007, review of The Professor's Daughter, p. 51; March 1, 2007, review of Sardine in Outer Space 3, p. 222.

Kliatt, July, 2006, George Galuschak, review of Vampire Loves, p. 29; May, 2007, Jennifer Feigelman, review of The Professor's Daughter, p. 32.

Publishers Weekly, April 3, 2006, review of Vampire Loves, p. 48; July 28, 2003, review of Little Vampire Goes to School, p. 95; June 12, 2006, review of Sardine in Outer Space, p. 52; February 5, 2007, review of The Professor's Daughter, p. 48.

School Library Journal, August, 2003, Joy Fleishhacker, review of Little Vampire Goes to School, p. 142; December, 2003, Steven Engelfried, review of Little Vampire Does Kung Fu!, p. 126; July, 2006, Benjamin Russell, review of Sardine in Outer Space, p. 125, and Dawn Rutherford, review of Vampire Loves, p. 131; January, 2007, John Leighton, review of Armageddon, p. 163; May, 2007, Heidi Dolamore, review of The Professor's Daughter, p. 172; July, 2007, Dawn Rutherford, review of Sardine in Outer Space 3, p. 124.

ONLINE

BdParadisio Web site,http://www.bdparadisio.com/ (March 19, 2005), "Joann Sfar."

Joann Sfar Home Page,http://www.pastis/org (April 27, 2007).

Lambiek Web site,http://www.lambiek.net/ (April 27, 2007), "Joann Sfar."