Carnets d'Orient

Jacques Ferrandez’s Carnets d’Orient is a five-issue historical graphic novel series published by Casterman between 1999 and 2006, each volume a self-contained narrative exploring a different era of French colonialism in Algeria. Rather than a single linear story, the series offers a mosaic of perspectives, from the 1830s conquest to the mid-20th century, blending personal journeys with the region’s complex political and cultural shifts. Ferrandez is the sole creator, writing and painting every page with a lush, watercolor style that evokes the Mediterranean light and the weight of memory. It stands as a landmark of European bande dessinée for its nuanced, non-sensational treatment of a difficult history.