Award-Winning French Graphic Novelist Takes up Residency at Washington College's Rose O'Neill Literary House

Chestertown, MD — Emmanuel Guibert, award-winning French author of more than 34 volumes of graphic narrative, is arriving in Chestertown this month for a two-week residency at Washington College's Rose O'Neill Literary House. The public is invited to "Meet Emmanuel Guibert," an introductory conversation with the author, at the Rose O'Neill Literary House on Thursday, April 16, at 6 p.m.

Guibert, in residence as this year's PEN World Voices Festival/Washington College Fellow in International Letters, is here to interact with Washington College student writers and to take part in "Pictures + Words: The New Literature of Graphic Narrative," a festival being presented by the Literary House on April 25. (An appearance by international graphic-narrative superstar Neil Gaiman follows on April 27).

The Paris-born Guibert has authored numerous acclaimed graphic novels for readers young and old, from the raucous and silly Sardine in Outer Space series, to the sweeping biographical epic of a World War II G.I., Alan's War, as well as the funny and charming The Professor's Daughter, with Joann Sfar.

Alan's War, a project that evolved from Guibert's friendship with an American World War II veteran retired in France, recently received four major Eisner Award nominations, including Best Reality-Based Work, Best Graphic Album - New, Best U.S. Edition of International Material, and Best Writer/Artist. The Eisner Award winners are announced each July at Comic-Con.

In a starred review, Publishers Weekly hailed Alan's War as a "poignant and frank graphic memoir... Guibert's illustrations capture the time period vividly."

Prior to Alan's War, Guibert gained international renown when he collaborated with globe-trotting French photojournalist Didier Lefèvre to create a graphic novel titled The Photographer. The book documented Lefèvre's assignment to Afghanistan in 1986 with Doctors Without Borders.

The collaboration of these two artists created a groundbreaking new form of narrative art: Guibert used Lefèvre's black and white photos as panels, here and there, along with his own illustrations, to interpret Lefèvre's travels, encounters and thoughts about the complexities of war. Since its release, The Photographer has received many awards and has been translated into 11 languages.

Admission to "Meet Emmanuel Guibert" is free and open to the public.