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| Nieves Pick 15 |
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Sempé (France, 1932)
Jean Jacques Sempé was born in Bordeaux. Having been expelled from college, he failed to pass entrance examinations for the Post Office, a bank and the French railways and so he became a traveling toothpaste salesman. Determined to become an artist in Paris but having no money, Sempé joined the army and elected to do his national service there. Having served periods of detention for drawing instead of keeping watch, in 1952 Sempé received an award given to encourage young artists to turn professional. Thus began a cartooning career spanning, so far, half a century.
He currently lives in Paris and is one of France's most celebrated cartoonists, best known for his comics series, Le Petit Nicolas, written by René Goscinny. He has also been a contributor to The New Yorker magazine since 1978, where his inimitable style, flair for satire and tragi-comic vision place him on a par with the American cartoonist James Thurber.
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