Raoul Taburin Keeps a Secret

by Bell, Anthea; Sempé, Jean-Jacques; Callow, Claire

• ISBN13: 9780714849799
• ISBN10: 0714849790
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-11-22
• Publisher: Phaidon Press

Summary

Ralph Sprockett is the story of a man who knows everything there is to know about bicycles, except how to ride one. An expert bicycle mechanic, thanks to constantly crashing and subsequently having to repair bikes as a child, he is admired by everyone in town for his skill and knowledge, So much so that they have even started refering to bicycles as 'sprockets' in his honour. No one knows his deep, dark secret not even his wife knows that the great Ralph Sprockett cannot ride a bike. When his friend Noel, who is a photographer, announces that he would like to take a picture of Ralph riding his bike down a local hill, Ralph finally has to confront his fears, with unexpectedly dramatic results. Originally published in France in 1995, Ralph Sprockett is the perfect companion to Monsieur Lambert, Sempe's earlier graphic novel.

Author Biography

Jean-Jacques Sempe (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. Anthea Bell was awarded the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and the Helen and Kurt Wolff Prize (USA) in 2002 for her translation of W G Sebald's Austerlitz. Her many works of translation from French and German (for which she has received several other awards) include the Nicholas books and, with Derek Hockridge, the entire Asterix the Gaul saga by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.