Hardback
175 x 220 mm, 6 3/4 x 8 3/4 in
64 pp
55 black and white illustrations
ISBN 0714846236
Monsieur Lambert
Classic graphic novel with text and pictures by Jean-Jacques Sempé
Written and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé
- A gentle and unmistakably French graphic novel with text and pictures by Jean-Jacques Sempé
- A glimpse of the everyday lives and secret passions of the regulars in a small Parisian bistro captured perfectly through Sempé's perceptive illustrations and the finely judged translation provided by Anthea Bell
- When Monsieur Lambert does not turn up for lunch at his usual time, the other regulars speculate that he must have met a woman. The diners start discussing women they have loved and lost, thereby revealing unexpected facets of their lives and personalities
- The restaurant and its regulars are vividly brought to life in a series of drawings which, together with handwritten dialogue bubbling in a laconic narrative, display Sempé's signature unerring eye and ear for the telling details of human behaviour
- Translated from the French by award-winning translator Anthea Bell
- A classic, first published in 1965, is now available in English for the first time
Monsieur Lambert is a gentle, sophisticated and unmistakably French illustrated story for adults. In this short graphic novel, Sempé tells the story of a group of regulars at a Parisian bistro, who see each other for lunch every day, without fail. They are creatures of habit, eating the same set meals on the same day, week in and week out. One day, however, one of their group, Monsier Lambert, does not turn up at the usual time, and the other regulars soon turn to speculating as to the reasons for the sudden and unexpected changes in their fellow diner – it surely must be because of a woman, they conclude.
The restaurant and its regulars are vividly brought to life in a series of drawings which, together with the handwritten speech bubbles and laconic texts, display Sempé’s usual unerring eye and ear for the telling details of human behaviour.
Jean-Jacques Sempé (b.1932) is one of the world's most successful illustrators and cartoonists. He is the illustrator of the classic children's-book character, Nicholas, and author of a collection of some thirty albums of his cartoons and graphic novels, all published or to be published by Phaidon. His world-renowned illustrations and cartoons are featured on the cover of the New Yorker and in Paris Match.