Jean-Jacques Sempé is equally adept at capturing the little indignities (and triumphs) of everyday life as he is at high farce. In Highs and Lows, nothing is ever quite what it seems: small villages try to pass themselves off as major urban centres, and the roadsigns read ‘Uptown’, ‘Downtown’ and ‘Don’t Knows’. With his uncanny eye for the telling detail, Jean-Jacques Sempé captures the small rebellions and unexpected dramas of people who are striving to fit in and find their place in the modern world, and of people who would rather be somewhere – anywhere – else.

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.