More than twenty years ago, Open Books fell for Jean-Jacques Sempé's sharp and witty take on the world and the deceptively simple charms of his drawings. The stories that Sempé tells in sketches are irresistibly universal, and that is why not only in France but also in Korea his readers tend to see him as a friendly, almost familial figure.
Since Par avion in 1998 Open Books has published most of Sempé's 'grands albums' as well as the famous stories starring unforgettable characters like Raoul Taburin, Marcelin Caillou, Monsieur Lambert or Catherine Certitude (with Patrick Modiano). Over the years, more and more Korean readers have been warmly receptive to Sempé's unique style and subtle humor.
The album Sentiments Sentiments distingués was published in March 2010 in a large, hardbound format, followed by Sempé à New York in 2012, a wonderful collection of Sempé’s numerous New Yorker cover artworks over many years. Face à face was published in 2013 and Enfances in 2014.
Works by Jean-Jacques Sempé in translation from Open Books (with year of publication of the Korean edition)
| Par avion (1998) |
| Ames soeurs (1998) |
| Raoul Taburin (1998) |
| Marcellin Caillou (1999) |
| Monsieur Lambert (1999) |
| L'ascension sociale de Monsieur Lambert (1999) |
| Luxe, calme et volupté (2000) |
| Grands rêves (2001) |
| Vaguement compétitif (2001) |
| Un peu de Paris (2004) |
| Multiples intentions (2004) |
| Beaux temps (2004) |
| Simple question d’équilibre (2005) |
| Un peu de la France (2007) |
| Sentiments distingués (2010) |
| Sempé a New York (2012) |
| Face à face (2013) |
| Enfances (2014) |
| Bourrasques et accalmies (2015) |
| Sincères amitiés (2017) |
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