Arab of the Future

3 primary works • 4 total works

The Arab of the Future 2

by Riad Sattouf

Published 20 September 2016

The highly anticipated continuation of Riad Sattoufs internationally acclaimed, #1 French bestseller, which was hailed by the New York Times as a disquieting yet essential read in the Arab of the Future: Volume 1, cartoonist Riad Sattouf tells of the first years of his childhood as his family shuttles back and forth between France and the Middle East. In Libya and Syria, young Riad is exposed to the dismal reality of a life where food is scarce, children kill dogs for sport, and his cousins, virulently anti-Semitic and convinced he is Jewish because of his blond hair, lurk around every corner waiting to beat him up. In volume 2, Riad, now settled in his fathers hometown of Horms, gets to go to school, where he dedicates himself to becoming a true Syrian in the country of the dictator Hafez Al-Assad. Told simply yet with devastating effect, Riads story takes in the sweep of politics, religion, and poverty, but is steered by acutely observed small moments: the daily sadism of his schoolteacher, the lure of the black market, with its menu of shame and subsistence, and the obsequiousness of his father in the company of those close to the regime. As family strains to fit in, on chilling, barbaric act drives the Sattoufs to make the most dramatic of changes. Darkly funny and piercingly direct. The Arab of the Future, Volume 2 once again reveals the inner workings of a tormented country and a tormented family, delivered through Riad Saffoufs dazzlingly original talent.

The Arab of the Future 3

by Riad Sattouf

Published 7 August 2018

VOLUME 3 IN THE UNFORGETTABLE STORY OF AN EXTRAORDINARY CHILDHOOD

Praise for The Arab of the Future series

'I TORE THROUGH IT... THE MOST ENJOYABLE GRAPHIC NOVEL I'VE READ IN A WHILE' Zadie Smith
'I JOYOUSLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO YOU' Mark Haddon
'RIAD SATTOUF IS ONE OF THE GREAT CREATORS OF OUR TIME' Alain De Botton
'A MASTERPIECE' Posy Simmonds | 'EXCELLENT' Guardian | 'Superb' Spectator

After having followed her husband to Libya and then to Syria, Riad's mother can't take any more of village life in Ter Maaleh: she wants to go back to France. Young Riad sees his father torn between his wife's aspirations and the weight of family traditions...

The Arab of the Future tells the story of Riad Sattouf's childhood in the Middle East. The first volume covers the period from 1978 to 1984: from birth to the age of six, little Riad is shuttled between Libya, Brittany and Syria. The second volume tells the story of his first year of school in Syria (1984-1985). This third volume sees him between the ages of six and nine, the time he becomes aware of the society he is growing up in.

Can you celebrate Christmas in Ter Maaleh? Were there video clubs in Homs? How do children of eight fast for Ramadan? Was Conan the Barbarian circumcised? Were Breton villagers kinder to their animals than their Syrian counterparts? How far will Riad go to please his father? And how far will his father go to become an important man in the Syria of Hafez Al-Assad?

Translated by Sam Taylor.

***THE ARAB OF THE FUTURE - THE INTERNATIONAL SENSATION***

1 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE | #1 BESTSELLER IN FRANCE | GUARDIAN 'BEST GRAPHIC BOOKS OF 2015' PICK | NY TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE |

The Arab of the Future 4

by Riad Sattouf

Published 5 November 2019

The Arab of the Future

by Riad Sattouf

Published 20 October 2015

VOLUME 1 IN THE UNFORGETTABLE STORY OF AN EXTRAORDINARY CHILDHOOD

The Arab of the Future tells the unforgettable story of Riad Sattouf's childhood, spent in the shadows of three dictators - Muammar Gaddafi, Hafez al-Assad, and his father.

A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR | AN OBSERVER GRAPHIC BOOK OF THE YEAR | A NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' TOP BOOK OF THE YEAR

'I tore through it... The most enjoyable graphic novel I've read in a while' Zadie Smith
'I joyously recommend this book to you' Mark Haddon
'Riad Sattouf is one of the great creators of our time' Alain De Botton
'Beautifully-written and drawn, witty, sad, fascinating... Brilliant' Simon Sebag Montefiore

In a striking, virtuoso graphic style that captures both the immediacy of childhood and the fervour of political idealism, Riad Sattouf recounts his nomadic childhood growing up in rural France, Gaddafi's Libya, and Assad's Syria - but always under the roof of his father, a Syrian Pan-Arabist who drags his family along in his pursuit of grandiose dreams for the Arab nation.

Riad, delicate and wide-eyed, follows in the trail of his mismatched parents: his mother, a bookish French student, is as modest as his father is flamboyant. Venturing first to the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab State and then joining the family tribe in Homs, Syria, they hold fast to the vision of the paradise that always lies just around the corner. And hold they do, though food is scarce, children kill dogs for sport, and with locks banned, the Sattoufs come home one day to discover another family occupying their apartment. The ultimate outsider, Riad, with his flowing blond hair, is called the ultimate insult... Jewish. And in no time at all, his father has come up with yet another grand plan, moving from building a new people to building his own great palace.

Brimming with life and dark humour, The Arab of the Future reveals the truth and texture of one eccentric family in an absurd Middle East, and also introduces a master cartoonist in a work destined to stand alongside Maus and Persepolis.

Translated by Sam Taylor.

'ENGROSSING' New York Times
'A PAGE TURNER' Guardian
'MARVELLOUS... BEGS TO BE READ IN ONE LONG SITTING' Herald
'AN OBJECT OF CONSENSUAL RAPTURE' New Yorker
'ONE OF THE GREATEST CARTOONISTS OF HIS GENERATION' Le Monde