- Of the three finalists announced on January 15, it is the French screenwriter and designer Emmanuel Guibert who wins in front of his compatriot Catherine Meurisse and the American Chris Ware.
- Little known to the general public, except for his screenplay by Ariol, Emmanuel Guibert, 56, is the first Frenchman to receive the Grand Prix since the introduction, in 2013, of the vote for comic book authors.
- The writer of "Walking Dead", the American Robert Kirkman, wins an Honorary Prize.
In Angoulême, the games are made: it is Emmanuel Guibert, who has remained at the foot of the podium during the last two editions, who wins the Grand Prix, succeeding the Japanese Rumiko Takahashi, while the American Robert Kirkman, screenwriter among others Walking Dead , wins an unexpected Honor Prize ...
The photographer © E. Guibert, D. Lefèvre & Dupuis
At 56, Emmanuel Guibert, a complete artist who writes as he draws, is today at the head of a work as dense as it is composite: from the rise of Nazism (in Brune , his very first comic strip) to the hectic daily life of a young donkey (with the Ariol series, designed by Marc Boutavant) passing through the memories of a former soldier ( Alan's War ), the crazy adventures of a small pirate ( Sardine from space ) or memories of a war photographer ( Le Photographe ), Emmanuel Guibert reaches all audiences. Which thank him by making each of his books a big bookstore success.
Ariol © E. Guibert, M. Boutavant & Bayard Presse
A happy man (and artist)
Unaccustomed to honors but always happy to be the winner (he already received, in 2007, an "Essential" Prize from the Festival for The Photographer), Emmanuel Guibert wore an immense smile when he appeared on the stage of the L 'multimedia library. Alpha d'Angoulême. Because behind the artist hides a fundamentally happy man; and grateful, as he confided to 20 Minutes a few hours before his sacre, of which he had just become aware: "It's difficult to say something smart about distinctions for which we do not apply ... But that is a pleasure, of course. Even more when you turn to others and see their reaction. Mom and dad, my little family, my friends ... they are all overjoyed. Much more than me, strangely ».
Alan's war © E. Guibert & L'Association
"I have long been the cuckold of service"
It may be that in real - and great - professional, the new Grand Prix refuses to get carried away. While he finished on a podium step in 2018 and 2019, Emmanuel Guibert is struggling to gain height: “I have been the cuckold for a long time and now I am becoming a cuckold beautiful (laughs). It's a rather voluptuous position, but I'm going to have to get used to it ”.
And quickly, do we want to blow her. Because if he came "more than very rarely in recent years" to the Angoulême festival, he will have to comment on his election in the coming days. "Sure, I'm about to face some turbulence this week ... but then, you know what it is, we go back to work. And without delay, as far as I'm concerned, because I have more than I need right now. ”
The professor's daughter © E. Guibert, J. Sfar & Dupuis
A life dedicated to his passion
This is the mark of this hard worker, who declares to 20 Minutes that "when you exercise a profession that you love, you can, as I have done for the past forty years, work so hard that you don't even take no vacation. In order for me not to work, I really need to have a very, very big break. ” As proof, he says that he will work on no less than seven books in 2020! "It's pure chance but I would never have published as much as the year I received the Grand Prix (laughs)".
As for his future “presidency” - the fact of receiving the Grand Prix of the Angoulême festival implies that we preside over the following edition and that we participate in its programming -, Emmanuel Guibert intends to honor him: “I believe that having the right, or the duty, to offer exhibitions is the main attraction of Grand Prix status. So I'm going to have to restrict myself more than push me, believe me (laughs). It is a bit early to advance names because I do not know what will be materially possible. In any case, I would like to be very interdisciplinary, presenting sculpture, photography, music ... I will see, but I already have a lot of ideas ”. And we are so eager to discover them.
Small screen boxes
The cult series Sardine from L'Espace by Emmanuel Guibert, Joann Sfar and Mathieu Sapin, will be honored at the launch of the cartoon at the Festival this year. Preview Sunday February 2, 11:30 am, at the CGR of Angoulême.
- Culture
- Angoulême Festival
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- Literary prize