In recent years, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt has become one of the most widely read and most represented French authors in the world. Born in 1960, student at the Ecole Normale, both a philosophy specialist and a doctor, he first became known to the theater world with "Le Visiteur", a hypothetical encounter between Freud and perhaps God, which became a classic of the international repertoire. Other successes soon followed: "Variations énigmatiques", "Le Libertin", "Hôtel des deux mondes", "Petits crimes conjugaux", "Mes Evangiles", "La Tectonique des sentiments", "Kiki Van Beethoven", and "Le journal d'Anne Frank", a world premiere with the exceptional authorization of the Anne Frank Foundation.
Acclaimed by both the public and critics alike, his plays have been rewarded with many Molière awards and the Académie Française grand theatre award. His books are translated into 43 languages and over 50 countries regularly show his plays. He wrote the 'Cycle de l'invisible', six stories about childhood and spirituality, which experienced great success both on stage and in libraries: "Milarepa", "Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran", "Oscar et la dame rose", "L'Enfant de Noé", "Le sumo qui ne pouvait pas grossir" et "Les dix enfants que madame Ming n'a jamais eus".
With a career as a novelist, initiated by 'La Secte des Egoistes', he gets a large part of his energy from The Gospel according to Pilate, an enlightening book where "La Part de l'autre" aims to be the dark side. Since then, we can be grateful to him for: "Lorsque j'étais une oeuvre de l'art", a whimsical and contemporary variation on the Faust myth and autofiction, "Ma Vie est Mozart, " an intimate and original correspondence with the composer of "Vienne".
This book was followed by "Quand je pense que Beethoven est mort alors que tant de crétins vivent", thus constituting the second volume of the cycle "Le Bruit qui pense". From there followed two collections of short stories: "Odette Toulemonde" and other stories, 8 destinies of women in search of happiness, inspired by his first film, and "La rêveuse d'Ostende", a beautiful tribute to the power of imagination.
In "Ulysse from Baghdad, " he delivers a picaresque epic of our time and questions the human condition. His third collection of short stories "Concerto à la mémoire d'un ange", presents us with heroes who are one day offered redemption. In 2010 the novel was awarded the prestigious Goncourt de la Nouvelle prize. In his latest novel, "La Femme au Miroir", published in the 2011 literary season, he presents three fates, three unique adventures, three women as infinitely close as they are similar in their feeling of being different and their desire to escape the image of themselves that the mirror of their era reflects.
Everything distances them from what society, people around them and men have decided for them. His fourth collection of short stories, "Les deux messieurs de Bruxelles", delicately reveals the secrets of many souls. Encouraged by the international success of his first film "Odette Toulemonde", he adapted and directed "Oscar et la dame rose" (2009). As a music lover, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt has also created a French translation of "Noces de Figaro" and "Don Giovanni".
Always curious, he continuously opens new doors and holds up new mirrors, to our great delight. He made his debut at the National Paris Opera with "Le Mystère Bizet" in October 2012. He lives in Brussels and all his works in French are published by Albin Michel.
Born on October 2nd 1957 in Jadotville (known today as Likasi) in The Congo, Janry spent the first ten years of his life in Africa. When he arrived in Brussels with his parents in 1967, the young boy was already obsessed with drawing.
To channel his obvious talent for images, he was enrolled in a graphic arts school and made his debut in fanzines. As a teenager, he met Stéphane De Becker and his future associate Philippe Tome. It was around this time that Janry was working as the assistant to the comic book artist Dupa. When he had to go off on his military service, Tome filled in for him. On returning from his obligations, Janry met up with Tome again, and the pair formed a promising duo.
When they were working as assistants for Turk and De Groot, the duo was noticed by the editor-in-chief of Spirou, Alain de Kuyssche, who offered them a fun weekly strip in the magazine: Jeureka. Together, they created a short story called "La voix sans maitre" which earned them the honor of being chosen, at barely 23 years old, to take up the mantle of the series "Spirou et Fantasio". Alternating adventure, science fiction and comic crime fiction, the duo brought a wonderful dynamic to the series, which soon became more popular than ever before.
In 1987, they created the spin-off series, "Le Petit Spirou, " recounting the mischievous childhood of their hero, a new idol for fans of Spirou mag. In 1990, Janry gave himself a break, writing jokes for the series "Passe-moi l'ciel", illustrated by Stuf. In 1998, for their last appearance as producers of the series "Spirou et Fantasio", Tome and Janry dragged their hero into an unnervingly futuristic universe, striking the imagination with the enigmatic title: "La machine qui reve." After this pivotal album, Janry enthusiastically pursued his work on "Le Petit Spirou" and "Passe-moi l'ciel".
In 2013, he put his fantastic drawing skills at the service of a new series, brainchild of the writer Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt: "Les Aventures de Poussin Ier" (The Adventures of Chick the 1st). Janry publishes his first plates in the fanzines. He assists Francis, Dupa, Greg, Turk and De Groot for a while before he gets to illustrate, together with Tome, a games section for SPIROU ("Jeuréka"). This is the time when the editor wishes to revitalise the production of the main character of his weekly magazine.
In order to get out of their routine jobs as assistant painters, the two friends embark on a slightly foolish project: to bring "Spirou et Fantasio" back to life in the spirit of the early adventures they read as children. They work on two pages of "La Voix sans maître" and go to see Franquin who, kind as always, invites them in and gives them a few valuable pieces of advice, without concealing, however, the hazards involved in recreating a character.
To Tome and Janry this is a dream they have to pursue, a challenge to take and an adventure to throw themselves into, body and soul. They divide the work fairly. Tome takes on the hand-drawn script, inks the backgrounds and, sometimes, the sketches, as well as the colour indications. Janry sketches the backgrounds and characters and inks the latter. Their first complete story is received with such enthusiasm that they get full responsibility for "Spirou et Fantasio" in 1981.
In 1986, when they start on the episode "Le Réveil du Z" and Stéphane De Becker comes to work in their studio, they review their task distribution. Tome is responsible for the script from now on, still hand-drawn, while Janry realises the entire graphic part and De Becker takes on the colours. After a short parody depicting the childhood of "Spirou et Fantasio", they create in 1987 "Le Petit Spirou", a lovely mischievous and impertinent boy, surrounded by a rich collection of caricature characters.
It's a smashing triumph ... Within a few years, half a million books about the little bugger are sold! This success encourages them to let Spirou evolve once more, composing an actual modern thriller for him ("Machine qui rêve", 1998), which enables him to set a new course toward the 20th century in his new adventures. While Tome diversifies in scriptwriting, Janry is also tempted by writing and has designed the pages for "Passe-moi l'Ciel" for Stuf since 1990.
Originally focused on games, this series has developed with true gags of tasty originality. The first books have created a little corner of paradise with infernal fumes in all the good bookshops.
