Danièle Archambault, linguist and cartoonist

I grew up in Montreal (Quebec) and I lived most of my live in a beautiful French neighborhood called Villeray. Then, many years ago now, I moved to the United States.

In September 2009, Stanford University offered for the first time a graphic novel class to its continuing studies students. The instructor, Dan Archer, was not only a talented comics journalist but also a remarkable teacher. In ten weeks, Dan introduced us to the graphic novel art form, from writing a scenario to printing our first comic books. I was fascinated! Along with two other students, I decided to keep studying under Dan’s guidance.  During our weekly classes, he encouraged us to learn new techniques, to try different styles, while introducing us to the work of a variety of graphic novel artists. In the last series of classes, from April to July 2010, Dan asked each of us to submit a personal project. Mine was to develop a new series and to turn it into a book. As incredible as it still seems to me, this is what I did.

Stairway Stories. In the Montreal of my childhood (August 2010) features two French-speaking children, Doudou and Danny, growing up in Montreal in the late 1950s. In those years, public schools in Montreal, like almost everywhere in Quebec, were religious. For those whose native language was French, they were usually Catholic.  Boys and girls were in separate classrooms and often in different schools. However, Doudou and Danny are next-door neighbors and, even though they’re entering school, it does not prevent them from continuing to discover life side by side. And because they live in Montreal, their stories often have, as a backdrop, a stairway.

 

 

 

 

Stairway Stories. On the way to school (March 2011) is the second book of the series. In these stories, Doudou and Danny meet people and have experiences typical of Québec culture. School continues to present them with new challenges and even forces them to question their deepest beliefs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stairway Stories. The Age of Reason (August 2011) is the third book of the series. In those days, in Quebec, the school calendar was punctuated by the various religious holidays and celebrations. Spring doesn’t come early in Quebec. The first days of nice, warm weather often arrive only in May, when children celebrate the Month of Mary. However, this time of year is above all marked by the most important, the most anticipated, the most rehearsed event of the first year of school: First Communion. Doudou and Danny have reached the Age of Reason. Within a short period of time, they will go through Confession, First Communion and Confirmation. This series of stories portrays, with, humor the many worries and anxieties triggered by these unique events in the two children’s lives.

If you are curious about the specifics of the French dialect spoken in Quebec or about the meaning of certain religious terms, please consult the glossary at the end of the book.

 

The stories in Québec-California are inspired by my life in California, in the heart of Silicon Valley.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/danielearchambault