Isabelle Dethan

Born in 1967, of partly Germanic descent and German as another language, Isabelle Dethan first published a story in the magazine Schwermettal (the German version of Metal Screaming). In addition to obtaining a Master's degree in Modern Literature and a CAPES in Documentation, she takes part in the Angoulême International Festival where she wins the Alph-Art Avenir in 1992. She joins the Atelier Sanzot where she works alongside Mazan, among others, her companion with whom she will collaborate. Following on from her work on medieval literature, and fascinated by the imaginary, she created a series imbued with both history and fiction, "Terres de légendes", with a first title, La Tour du Savoir (The Tower of Knowledge). In Sierre, in 1993, she was awarded the "Grelots d'Or" for Best First Album, then launched into Le Roi Cyclope, where she used direct colour, developing a range of very original and luminous tones, and continued in the historical register with Sur les terres d'Horus, in 2000, and Kheti, fils du Nil, in 2006, a series aimed at a younger audience, in association with Mazan au dessin. She also recalls her childhood memories in Tante Henriette ou l'Éloge de l'avarice, a pleasant and incisive portrait of an old lady who is as stingy as she is rich. She has collaborated with Ingrid on the chronicle of a German family's daily life during the Third Reich and, recently with Éva aux mains bleues, she has painted a delicate portrait of a teenage girl on holiday with her family.

Photo credits: © Vollmer-Lo