Everything is Complicated

Jean-Jacques Sempé is equally adept at capturing the little indignities (and triumphs) of everyday life as he is at high farce. Everything is Complicated features some of his favourite subjects, such as pipe-smoking novelists, unruly schoolchildren and people who choose to express their innermost feelings through the medium of the protest sign.

Most famous in the English-speaking world for his instantly recognizable New Yorker covers, Jean-Jacques Sempé has delighted readers in France and beyond with his witty drawings and keen eye for the finer points of the human condition for over 40 years. Now, his sharply observed and beautifully drawn cartoons are available in English for the first time. The pithy captions were translated from the original French by Anthea Bell, who also translated the Asterix comics into English.

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.