After making countless children’s books, the Israeli Belgian-born graphic novelist returned to his own childhood with the critically acclaimed Second Generation: Things I Haven’t Told My Father. Reminiscent of Maus, black and white illustrations tell the story of Kichka’s relationship with his father, a Holocaust survivor. He’ll discuss it in the English-language lecture “The past as present” on Graphic Novel Day at 12:00 on Sep 13.
When/where: At home or on journeys – in airports, in planes, trains, hotel rooms or cafés.
Writing aids: Time. Good coffee. A4 or A5 paper – no lines, I hate lines! A good pen. I can’t think at my laptop – and I type with two fingers like a Stone Age man.
Defining literary moment: Reading my first comics as a child: Belgian classics like Spirou, Gaston Lagaffe, Lucky Luke, Johan et Pirlouit, Tintin… The Little Prince made me cry the first time it was read to us at a holiday camp.
Back-up plan: Cooking or gardening.
What you’d like to be remembered for: I’m more interested in the process than the result. Each text, each drawing is like a piece of me. I guess some idle archaeologist could piece them together after my death – like a jigsaw puzzle, they’d make a full picture.
Shoe size: 43.5 (summer), 43 (winter).