Jacques Ferrandez (1955) trained at the School of Decorative Arts in Nice before making his debut in the magazine A Suivre in 1978. His masterpiece, Carnets d’Orient—a ten-volume epic on the French presence in Algeria published by Casterman—has established itself as an essential reference in the historical graphic novel genre. An avid traveler, he draws inspiration for his artwork from numerous travel journals—Les Tramways de Sarajevo, Retours à Alger, Cuba père et fils—in which watercolors and drawings capture the light and atmosphere of the places he has visited. He has also adapted three novels by Albert Camus (The Guest, The Stranger, The First Man) and Jean Giono’s Le Chant du monde. He returned to contemporary Algeria with the two-volume Suites algériennes before embarking on his diptych Orients perdus, published by Daniel Maghen. As much a painter as a storyteller, Ferrandez has created a luminous body of work bathed in the ochres and Mediterranean blues that instantly define his style. Complete biography.