Marguerite Abouet
Marguerite Abouet | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire |
| Occupation | Author |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Known for | Graphic novel series Aya and Akissi |
Marguerite Abouet (born 1971) is an Ivorian author specializing in bandes dessinées, renowned primarily for her graphic novel series Aya and Akissi.
Biography
Born in 1971 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Abouet relocated to France when she was twelve years old. She currently resides in Romainville, a suburb near Paris, with her husband, the illustrator Clément Oubrerie, who provides the artwork for her graphic novels, and their son. While employed as a legal assistant in Paris, she penned her debut graphic novel, Aya. Encountering limitations in writing for young audiences, she decided to leave her legal career to pursue writing professionally.
The Aya series has been translated into fifteen different languages. Among her other publications is the children's book Akissi: Attaque de Chats (2010). Additionally, Abouet manages Des livres pour tous (Books for All), an initiative dedicated to promoting library development and literacy programs for children across Africa.
Education
Abouet completed her academic studies in Paris, France.
Aya
Abouet’s first published work, Aya (2005), marks her debut graphic novel, created in partnership with her husband, who illustrated the series. Inspired by Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Abouet sought to present an image of Africa that counters prevalent media portrayals centered on conflict and hunger. The narrative explores daily life in Ivory Coast, touching on themes such as education, employment, and family dynamics. This story was later adapted into the animated feature film Aya of Yop City, which Abouet co-directed.
According to Abouet, while Aya is not autobiographical, it reflects the Ivory Coast she knows intimately. The characters draw inspiration from individuals she encountered during her youth, although the events depicted are fictionalized.
The series attained significant acclaim for a first-time author, securing the 2006 Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for First Comic Book and achieving sales exceeding 200,000 copies in France and 350,000 globally by the release of its second volume. The English edition, published by Drawn & Quarterly in the United States, sold over 10,000 copies—a notable achievement for a debut graphic novel. Abouet also ensured affordable paperback editions were available within Ivory Coast. As of 2024, total sales of both Aya and Akissi have surpassed one million copies.
Character illustrations in Aya highlight African cultural variety through hairstyles, attire, and facial expressions without extensive cultural explanations, encouraging readers to interpret these elements independently. The storytelling incorporates satire and irony as key devices.
By 2023, the Aya collection had expanded to eight graphic novels, seven of which have English translations. Interest in the series grew substantially during the George Floyd protests, sparking renewed attention worldwide particularly among French-speaking African diaspora communities.
Akissi de Paris
Together with cartoonist Mathieu Sapin, Abouet created the character Akissi.
See also
Sources
- Marguerite Abouet at Bedetheque
External links
- "Marguerite Abouet", Cultures with Vivendi, 13 January 2017.