Raoul Taburin Keeps a Secret
Jean-Jacques SempƩ
Hardcover
(Phaidon Press, Nov. 22, 2010)
Ralph Sprockett is the story of a man who knows everything there is to know about bicycles, except how to ride one. An expert bicycle mechanic, thanks to constantly crashing and subsequently having to repair bikes as a child, he is admired by everyone in town for his skill and knowledge, so much so that they have even started refering to bicycles as 'sprockets' in his honour. No one knows his deep, dark secret - not even his wife knows that the great Ralph Sprockett cannot ride a bike. When his friend Noel, who is a photographer, announces that he would like to take a picture of Ralph riding his bike down a local hill, Ralph finally has to confront his fears, with unexpectedly dramatic results. Originally published in France in 1995, Ralph Sprockett is the perfect companion to Monsieur Lambert, Sempe's earlier graphic novel.
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