Riad Sattouf 

“My nationality is cartoonist!”

So, Who Is Riad Sattouf?
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Image: AFP
" 'So who is the 'Arab of the future'? Not Sattouf, it seems. 'The idea of nationality is outdated, worm-eaten,' [Sattouf] says. 'My nationality is cartoonist!' " (Eads 2015).​
Riad Sattouf tweeted this photo of he (child in front) and his family  in Libya in 1982. @RiadSattouf
This January 2015 Charlie Hebdo cover (featured above) included cartoon Muhammad holding a sign to support the free speech movement, Je Suis Charlie.
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"The Arab of the Future" has, in effect, made him the Arab of the present in France" 
(Shatz 2015).

Background

The Arab of the Future, written entirely from the perspective of young Riad Sattouf, gives a playfully innocent portrayal of countries that many associate with political tyranny and injustice. The lens of adolescent naivete allows for an unabashed depiction​ of both bureaucratic and social shortcomings in France, Syria, and Libya. Amidst his adventures abroad, Young Raid crafts a moral compass of his own, yet complications arise because, as Sattouf describes, our perspectives of the world can be limited by our parents (Cooke). 

Sattouf's influences included occasionally racist comments from his father, constant political propaganda blaring on the radio, and social constructs enforced during childhood play that perpetuate aggressive tendencies for boys.  According to Sattouf, "A child doesn’t know morality, racism, misogyny.. When you’re small, your parents are divinities. You think they’re wonderful, and that’s all – until time passes, and you realize what they really are”​​ (Cooke).​​​ In his home, his father's word was a truth that no one dared to question. Culturally, Sattouf had a mix and match set of influences because he and his family moved to three different countries throughout his childhood. As a result, he could not identify with any one nation. 

Career and Work Life


Riad Sattouf is a French cartoonist, born in Paris May 5, 1978, to a French mother and Syrian father who met while attending the same university in Paris. Sattouf’s father uprooted their family spontaneously on more than one occasion: one instance, they relocated to Libya so that he could teach at a university and the other, to Syria before returning to France again.

Comics were the anchor that Sattouf needed throughout the changing tides of his childhood. Positive responses by family encouraged Sattouf to continue his drawing practices throughout adulthood. He attended Gobelins L'École de L'Image, or the Gobelins School of the Image, to study animation. Olivier Vatine, a renowned cartoonist, shared his appreciation of Sattouf’s work with others in the industry, like Guy Delcourt, who later published Sattouf’s cartoons. Sattouf has published several books of comix including,  Manuel du puceau (2003), Ma circoncision (2004), No Sex in New York (2004), Retour au collège (2005),  La vie secrète des jeunes (2007),  L'Arabe du futur, vol. 1: Une jeunesse au Moyen-Orient (1978–1984) (2014), and L'Arabe du futur, vol. 2: Une jeunesse au Moyen-Orient (1984–1985) (2015). Additionally, Sattouf has written, directed, and acted in several films, including Les Beaux Gosses (The French Kissers) (2009), Mes colocs (2010), and Jacky au royaume des filles (Jacky in Women's Kingdom) (2014).  

From 2004 to 2014, ​Sattouf wrote the page, “ La vie secrète des jeune,” monthly for the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo. In this comic series, he interprets overheard conversations from the streets of Paris, typically from the mouths of teenagers, into comic anecdotes. While working at Charlie Hebdo , Sattouf never felt comfortable drawing anything religious or "openly mocking." He feared what unfortunately became true in 2015, when extremists attacked the office building of the magazine with a firebomb that killed 17 people; one of which was a close friend of Sattouf and fellow comic, Jean (“Cabu”) Cabut. 

According to the perpetrators, the intent of the attack was to defend the Prophet Muhammad and die as martyrs for their faith (Encyclopaedia Britannica). Years before the attack, the magazine released satirical depictions of the Prophet and this was not forgotten by al-Qaeda. Events like this one exemplify the ways in which cartoonists often serve as watchdogs of their culture and, consequently, they must approach political topics with caution as they interpret them.  Following the massacre in January, Sattouf participated in marches and protests for the cause. According to an interview with Adam Shatz of The New Yorker, Sattouf does not identify as Syrian or French, but marched in solidarity with the movement, "Je Suis Charlie" ("I Am Charlie"), because it supports the free speech of cartoonists, or artists more specifically.

​In late 2014, Sattouf left Charlie Hebdo to write for Le Nouvel Obs, a weekly magazine, with a new strip called "Les cahiers d'Esther (Esther's notebooks)", based on true stories told to him by Esther A., a girl who was 9 years old when the strip began.
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Although Sattouf’s "The Arab of the Future" series has received far more recognition than his other works, Sattouf hesitated throughout the writing process because he feared marginalization. During the interview with Cooke, Sattouf reveals that he “didn’t want to be considered THE Arab Cartoonist” (Cooke). To avoid the potential poster-child title, Sattouf encourages readers to stop basing identities off of ethnicity alone. The impermanence of his father’s job interests meant that Sattouf did not have a home country, leaving him displaced from any and all community until he found comics. Yet even within the graphic storytelling discourse, politics exist. In fact, the satire within "The Arab of the Future" series transforms the comics into a medium for historical interpretation: it is Sattouf’s understanding of political unrest and bureaucracy through the lens of childlike innocence. Although he claims to be unconcerned by such matters, it is unavoidable: he grew up experiencing the violence created by politics and continues to experience it in recent years. 

Below is a video of an interview with Raid Sattouf about "The Arab of the Future."
​The Arab of the Future 
“It’s a story of people, various people, thinking that they have a destiny.” -Riad Sattouf (Youtube)
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The cover of the graphic memoir.
Originally Published in France; 2014 by Allary Editions
Translated and Published in the United States: 2015 by Metropolitan Books
 
         
The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East is a graphic memoir based on Riad Sattouf's childhood, beginning in France. This family also endures the process of moving to Libya, and later Syria. The novel follows 2-year-old Sattouf, his mother Clementine, and father Abdel-Razak.  The book chronicles several struggles, each unique to the country that they  they go through in Libya and Syria, under the respective dictatorships of Muammar Gaddafi and Hafez al-Assad. While historical context and political figures are prominent in this work, this novel is mainly concerned with the human experience and a family dynamic. The child-like narration of this story omits the judgement and bias of the  cultural practices and the actions of characters. 

It is apparent that Sattouf means to address the complexities of the concept of  "home." Generally, the concept is tied to the following themes throughout the novel: identity, legacy or inheritance, and culture. As young Riad attempts to cultivate a sense of belonging, he often questions the cultural differences among the Arab countries. In crowds of people he cannot appreciate the sweat or any of the concentrated smells floating around him. With other children, he is mocked for his appearance (fair skin, long blonde hair) and/or his dissatisfaction with violence.  He preferred staying home with his mother to attending school, which heavily frustrated his father. In fact, the only instance that his father expressed pride for his son is when Riad tries authentic Syrian food and, unlike his mother, he enjoys it.  This moment is a defining indicator of Abdel's synthesis of nationality and identity. He is proud to be Syrian and wishes for his son to feel the same, despite not having raised his son there. He feels that he has a responsibility to live in Arab countries, regardless of the inconveniences that they bring to the family, because it is a legacy. Meanwhile, Riad is desperate to find any sort of connection with culture and Clementine longs to return to France, where she has more agency as a woman. 

Main Characters

Image directly from graphic novel

​Clementine
  Clementine, a France-native, agrees to meet Abdel on a date, though only out of pity. Her character in this graphic novel is not given much of an individual role or voice. She is depicted passively; when she does speak or provide thoughts and ideas, she is almost always corrected, brought down, or silenced. Interestingly, this silencing is always done by Abdel, her husband. Though she is depicted as a loving mother,  she is also drawn as exhausted or more of a minor character. It seems that her character juxtaposes her husband, or Riad's father. Much of her life is shaped around his decisions, whether that is for better or for worse. It is through Abdel that their family relocating occurs, while Clementine must comply and take care of the family.

Abdel 
Riad's father, Abdel, is a charming yet sometimes irrational and defensive character. It is clear that he is the decision-maker of the family, and that his family lineage means a lot to him. He tends to reference things from his childhood or home country as idealized or better than any other culture or practice. On the other hand, he is easily embarrassed when things don't go his way, or if one is his plans falls out of place. He handles this embarrassment by blaming others and doing his signature smile while rubbing his nose. Abdel also tends to take political and powerful figures very seriously. In Libya, he takes the Gaddafi's "Green Book" with admiration and tries to make meaning of it in order to seem complicit and educated. In essence, Abdel's strong desire for identity, sense of belonging, and reliving his childhood drive him to seek a "home" for him and his family.
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Riad
 Riad is the child character and narrator of this story who recounts his early childhood experiences of moving around and trying to find a home with his family. Through this child perspective, we notice Riad observing the actions and decisions of his parents, more specifically of his father. Though Riad doesn't seem to have judgements of these decisions at such a young age, it is apparent that he notices when things might be wrong or astray. At times it is difficult for him to distinguish reality from dreams. I think this has to do with the fantasy-like world that his father creates around them. Riad experiences many different cultures in a short period of time which makes him somewhat of an outsider. Observing the behavior of other children, he attempts to fit in my mimicking their forms of "play." In other instances Riad is merely trying to survive the social settings he is forced into. This child narration allows us to understand this family's journey from a mostly un-biased perspective. 




​Historical Characters 
Background information on Muammar Gaddafi and Hafez al-Assad.
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Muammar Gaddafi
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Hafez al-Assad
Muammar Gaddafi was the leader of Libya from 1969 until his death in 2011. Gaddafi was driven by an ideological mixture of nationalism, Islamic socialism, pan-Arabism, and pan-Africanism which put him at odds with western countries throughout his reign. In 1975 Qaddafi released the first volume of his book titled the Green Book. It is a collection of thoughts on imperialism, the failures of capitalism in the west, and communism in the Soviet and Asiatic blocs. His book would form the foundation of his political party the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Under this direction private property was abolished, worker-owned and operated plants replaced those that were privately owned, and food distribution was managed by the state. In it, he wrote, “The material needs of people that are basic and personal start with food, housing, clothing and transport and must be regarded as private and sacred and their satisfaction should not depend on hire.”
Hafez al-Assad was  President of Syria from 1971 to 2000.  In 1971 he seized power in a bloodless coup after a decade of political turmoil. Under his leadership, the country would turn into a one-party state. His party, the Baath Party, was a secular, socialist-leaning party that allied itself with the Soviet Union. al-Assad was a pan-Arabist who wanted to unite the Arab world under a single flag. However, due to the varying political priorities between Arab nations, his dream was never fulfilled(MacFarquhar). al-Assad legitimized his rule through a cult of personality and a militaristic foreign policy that singled out Israel and the United States as existential threats to  Arab civilization. Under his supervision, a collection of intelligence agencies were set up to monitor Syrians as the country became one of the most isolated and authoritarian states in the world. He is remembered as a murderous tyrant and his legacy is one of violence, torture, political repression, and the brutal quelling of dissent by whatever means necessary.   ​


The Conversation on "The Arab of the Future"

1.Review from World Literature Today
​World Literature Today's David Lewis focuses on the blatant story-telling and the more seemingly negative aspects of The Arab of the Future. Though this critic praises the "clean and expertly rendered" art style of Riad Sattouf, he digs at the content by claiming, "the world he describes is a confusing, disturbing one" (Lewis). It also seems that the cultural depictions do not sit well with this critic. He shares that the adults in the novel are pushing their religious and political values onto their children which proves the adults to be "grotesque in nature." Lastly, this review suggests that this graphic novel may not work due to a failure in translation. While this novel was originally written in French, Lewis implies that is should have stayed that way, as this one "fails to translate into a coherent narrative for the American reader." As we can see, The Arab of the Future was not well-received by all audiences.
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2. Review from The Los Angeles Times
In his review of "The Arab of the Future,"  Doulgas Wolk, author of "Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean," describes the memoir as a collection of adolescent experiences that Sattouf "put behind himself" (Wolk) and for that, Wolk seems to be thankful. He claims that the memoir is engaging because Sattouf creates a distinction between his childhood experiences of the political climate and his current understanding of the events. Wolk does acknowledge that without Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis," to saturate the U.S. literary market for cross-cultural childhood graphic novels, the likelihood for the success of this memoir would be far less. Additionally, he praises Sattouf for "wittily resisting" popular conventions that Satrapi and other cartoonists of this genre typically follow, like including a subtext that explicitly states how they became an artist. Instead, Sattouf artfully weaves the development of his drawing skills into the narrative. Overall Wolk appreciates the memoir because he feels that Sattouf has "an eye for grimly funny details" that bring depth and comedic relief to a story that could easily be "over-the-top." 
3. Review from The New Yorker
Adam Shatzs' article “Drawing Blood” in The New Yorker is a review of “The Arab of the Future”, an interview with Sattouf, and a discussion with various French intellectuals and cartoonists regarding Sattouf’s work. Shatz himself heaped praise on the novel saying “The Arab of the Future” provides an unflinching portrait of the frustrations and the brutality that sparked the revolts against the regimes in both Libya and Syria.” This is somewhat ironic because Sattouf considers himself a-political. However, that hasn’t stopped critics and scholars from viewing his work through a political lens. Shatz notes that the novel has received both praise and criticism in French and Arab intellectual circles. One critic, Yves Gonzalez-Quijano, who saw the novel as problematic, said of Sattouf’s work “Because he’s part Arab, everything he says becomes acceptable, including the most atrociously racist things.” Others in the Arab literary world, such as Lebanese poet Adonis, believe that “Sattouf describes things as they are.” Shatz demonstrates that Sattouf’s work has generated a lot of intellectual curiosity and debate within many different circles as more Arab artists emerge into the mainstream. 




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Artistic Comic Style 

According to Scott McCloud, comics and other visual art characters are best received when the images are simple and concise  (McCloud). Graphic novels and comics are valuable because more than half of the texts should be dedicated to drawings and images. There has always been a shift from words to images as illustrations depict emotions, situations, and feelings in ways that words cannot. Keeping these images clear and concise allows readers to more easily approach these novels, and to identify with the characters. Sattouf seems to understand this; he doesn't add too much detail on the characters or places. This technique allows all readers to access this text because although we may not identify or understand French, Libyan, or Syrian cultures, we can understand basic human thoughts and feelings.

Scott McCloud's explanation on why simple images are better for comics and graphic novels.
(Image from his book Understanding Comics)
Color Coordination of Places

 Sattouf represents each country of his childhood with a colour: Libya is yellow, like the desert (with flashes of green for its flag and for Gaddafi’s Green Book); Syria is red, like its ferrous earth; and France is grey blue, like the Brittany coast where he holidayed with his maternal grandmother. (Cooke 2016). Color in graphic novels and comics is just as important as the images themselves. Each image and panel has the power to contribute to the story with elements like size, texture, shading, and color. As Scott McCloud reminds us, each illustration is intentional and done with strategic thought and planning behind it (McCloud). It is no mistake when artists dedicate certain colors to specific themes in a novel.  Furthermore, consider what the effect would be if there were no color whatsoever.




France 

​Blue



​“Next to Japan and its ubiquitous manga, no country produces more comics than France. More than 5,000 are published every year and sold in the scores of bookshops across the country devoted to the genre" (Eads 2015)​​.
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Young Sattouf is a Candide-like figure, of blonde hair and innocent naivete.
​"Jewish" stereotyped nationality - Often Sattouf was mistaken as Hebrew, especially in Libya and Syria.

France is the first geographic location we are provided with in this novel. Abdel and Clementine meet and begin their family here. It is clear that Abdel is pursuing an education and wishes to get a job, but is insecure and hesitant on how to do so. The father doesn't seem particularly fond on France as he often ridicules the country and even Clementine. While France is a short setting to this story, it sets the background for the characters and the beginning of their travels.

​The color blue on the French flag represents the duty of the affluent to care for the poor.

Libya

Yellow

Map from The Arab of the Future indicating their move from Paris to Libya

Sattouf paints imagery of Libya with deserted streets and half-constructed buildings. There are no housing ownership laws, everything is up for grabs by the public. Food is only available in rations.

​On their first day in Libya, Sattouf and his family return from a stroll to find their apartment inhabited by another family. At this point in time, Libya is ruled by Muammar Gaddafi, who believed  "Land is the private property of none. Rather, everyone has the right to beneficially utilize it by working... as long as he and his heirs live on it." Gaddifi wanted to break down class barriers which he saw as vestiges of colonialism. A cult of personality sprouted up around him and many Libyan's believed that their struggles were a result of post-colonialist western powers who sought to destabilize Libya and return it into a state of bondage. Gaddifi utilized the airwaves to disseminate state propaganda that legitimized the states actions. In the novel, Sattouf spends his formative years hearing this type of rhetoric on a daily basis and seeing the effect it has on his father. His mother Clementine has a much different reaction to the political situation than her husband and is horrified by the deteriorating situation and their lack of access to resources. Riad witnesses these two opposing viewpoints unfold with the naivety of a child and we as the readers are able to see the sad reality of the situation through a satirical lens.  

Comic strips from The Arab of the Future
Sattouf shows how the politics of Libya affect the lives of the characters.  Food rationing, state planning, the abolition of private property, and the idealization of Gadaffi form the political underpinnings from which the story unfolds. Sattouf frames this reality through the lens of a child who doesn't fully grasp the harsh realities that influence his day-to-day life. 

Syria
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Pink

Syria is the third geographic location that the novel is set in.  Sattouf begins building the setting and introducing us to the cult of personality that surrounded al-Assad. His image is everywhere and even the men style themselves in his manor. In al-Assad's Syria, all forms of descent were violently suppressed and conformity was a means of staying alive in a country where the state is always watching you.  
Anti-semitism and anti-Israeli sentiments run deep in Syria. Syria had fought and lost territory to Israel and al-Assad 
saw Israel's existence as a threat to all Arab nations. From a young age, children were indoctrinated by the state to see the Jewish state as the enemy. When Riad first arrives in Syria his cousins mistake him for a Jew and ridicule him incessantly. Jew is the first word he learns in Syrian Arabic. The toys themselves work as subliminal propaganda to indoctrinate the children with negative feelings towards Israel. Satouff uses this section to illustrate(no pun intended) the unconscious formation biases at a young. He shows how they manifest themselves naturally in cultures that are structured around ethnic supremacy.  Satouff reflects on this by saying  “I tried to be the most aggressive towards the Jews to prove I wasn’t one” (Lindsey 2016). By creating an enemy in the Jews the Syrian state was able to mobilize popular discontent towards Israel as a way of legitimizing itself as a beacon of Arab opposition to the Jewish occupation of the Holy Land which people were indoctrinated to believe from a young age.
This spread illuminates the type of country Syria was a the time. Corruption, intimidation, bullying and fear for ones own safety were normal aspects of everyday life. Abdel acknowledges this danger "I have nothing to fear, until the next time," but compartmentalizes the interaction as ordinary. 
This section of the novel sheds light on some of the contradictions that Abdel exhibits throughout the novel. Abdel considers himself a secular liberal Arab but he condones the actions of repressive states like Syria and Libya as a means of creating order and unity. When Abdel is confronted with inconsistencies between rhetoric and reality he often finds a way to justify it to fit within his interpretation of world where the ends justify the means. This conflict of character is observed by young Riad and it informs the conflicted view he has of his father.

Other Works by Riad Sattouf

La vie secrète des jeunes 
The Secret Life of Young People 
​Charlie Hebdo
(2004-2014)

"Taper" means to slap. 

Les cahiers d'Esther - Esther's Notebooks
(2014- present)

Les cahiers d'Esther (Esther's notebooks), based on true stories told to him by Esther A., a girl who was 9 years old when the strip started. (Wikipedia). 

The Arab of the Future 2
1984-1985

The Arab of the Future 3
1985-1987

See Also

Further Readings

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
Les cahiers d'Esther by Riad Sattouf 
“A Brief History of the Graphic Novels” by Stan Tychinski 
The Arab of the Future (2-4) by Riad Sattouf ​
​​Works Cited
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