The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East 1978-1984 Riad Sattouf

Description: The Arab of the Future -- graphic memoir Riad Sattouf The Arab of the Future tells the unforgettable story of Riad Sattouf’s childhood, spent in the shadows of three dictators – Muammar Gaddafi, Hafez al-Assad, and his father. A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR | AN OBSERVER GRAPHIC BOOK OF THE YEAR | A NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS’ TOP BOOK OF THE YEAR ‘I tore through it… The most enjoyable graphic novel I’ve read in a while’ Zadie Smith‘I joyously recommend this book to you’ Mark Haddon‘Riad Sattouf is one of the great creators of our time’ Alain De Botton‘Beautifully-written and drawn, witty, sad, fascinating… Brilliant’ Simon Sebag Montefiore In a striking, virtuoso graphic style that captures both the immediacy of childhood and the fervor of political idealism, Riad Sattouf recounts his nomadic childhood growing up in rural France, Gaddafi’s Libya, and Assad’s Syria – but always under the roof of his father, a Syrian Pan-Arabist who drags his family along in his pursuit of grandiose dreams for the Arab nation. Riad, delicate and wide-eyed, follows in the trail of his mismatched parents: his mother, a bookish French student, is as modest as his father is flamboyant. Venturing first to the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab State and then joining the family tribe in Homs, Syria, they hold fast to the vision of the paradise that always lies just around the corner. And hold they do, though food is scarce, children kill dogs for sport, and with locks banned, the Sattoufs come home one day to discover another family occupying their apartment. The ultimate outsider, Riad, with his flowing blond hair, is called the ultimate insult… Jewish. And in no time at all, his father has come up with yet another grand plan, moving from building a new people to building his own great palace. Brimming with life and dark humour, The Arab of the Future reveals the truth and texture of one eccentric family in an absurd Middle East, and also introduces a master cartoonist in a work destined to stand alongside Maus and Persepolis. The Arab of the Future (French: L'Arabe du futur) is a graphic memoir by French cartoonist Riad Sattouf. The work recounts Sattouf's childhood growing up in France, Libya and Syria in the 1970s, 80s, and '90s. The first volume of L'Arabe du futur won the 2015 Fauve d’Or prize for best graphic novel at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. Eventually another version was released which cut out some details but combined all six books into one. Sattouf's father influenced the title of the memoir through his ideal of raising his son as an "Arab of the future." Early in the story, the elder Sattouf proclaims, "I'd change everything among the Arabs. I'd force them to stop being bigots, to educate themselves, and to enter into the modern world. I'd be a good President." Purposefully written from the perspective of a child, Sattouf employs simplistic yet comprehensive drawings that are more rudimentary than, yet not entirely dissimilar to, his other works such as La vie secrète des jeunes, his column in the famous satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo. Both The Arab of the Future and La Vie Secrète des Jeunes are written from Sattouf's point of view, with the former describing his childhood and the latter his daily observations as an adult. Although both appear autobiographical, at least one reviewer calls into question elements of Sattouf's life story and family history.In 2020, Sattouf announced the memoir's fifth volume was finished with only one extra volume pending before finalizing the saga. Please see and examine all pictures for details, they are considered part of the description Items are sold “AS IS” and NO RETURNS unless otherwise listed with conditions We used recycled boxes to help keep shipping rates as low as possible, we will always try to use suitable boxes for your item, but may have company logos, writings, or markings. CHECK OUT OUR STORE, Burman's Basement, FOR MANY UNIQUE TREASURES, WE ARE HAPPY TO COMBINE SHIPPING WHEN POSSIBLE

Price: 14.95 USD

Location: Miami, Florida

End Time: 2024-12-03T21:04:01.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.38 USD