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All Pyrénée images © Editions Vents d’Ouest/Regis Loisel/Philippe Sternis

 YRÉNÉE is a 64-page French-language graphic novel (bande déssinée) by Regis Loisel and Philippe Sternis (Editions Vents d’Ouest, 1998, ISBN 2-8696-7519-4). There is also a German-language edition called Pyrenea (Egmont Ehapa, ISBN 3770414748), and a Dutch edition entitled Pyrenee (Farao-Talent ISBN 90-5289-2407).

The French edition can be ordered from Amazon France.
The German edition can be ordered from Amazon Deutschland.

Background

Some views of the statuette: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six

When a huge earthquake devastates a town in the French Pyrénées, a bear escapes from a circus in the confusion and later finds a small girl whose mother has been killed in the quake. The bear rescues the girl (and her teddy bear!) and raises her as his own cub like a female Mowgli, high in the inaccessible mountains, naming her “Pyrénée” after them. (I gather that a ‘pyrénée’ is also a type of wild spirit or fairy, which makes her name doubly appropriate, although it’s also the name of a breed of dog, which certainly isn’t!) Later on she also learns wisdom from a blind old eagle, and eventually - like Mowgli - has to try to make her way back to human society.

Unlike most comic versions of The Jungle Books, Pyrénée features actual nudity, although of course it’s perfectly innocent. Like Mowgli before he encounters humans, Pyrénée simply doesn’t know what clothes are (although in the depths of midwinter she does briefly wear a fur coat and boots that the eagle has found). European publishers certainly don’t seem to have a problem with the comic’s nudity. There was even a limited edition statuette of the naked girl and the bear (above left). But somehow I can’t see Pyrénée ever being published in America, “The Land of the Free”, with all its paranoid censorship. It’s a pity, because, nudity aside, it looks like a good story, and I for one wish I could read it in English rather than having to rely on my sketchy knowledge of French....

Pyrénée Links and Artwork
Updated March, 2007

Because the book has never appeared in English, I believe this may be the ONLY English-language webpage about Pyrénée. For those of you who can read other languages, I’ve found a few interviews and essays relating to the story. There are also lots of thumbnails linking to sample pages, bookplates and original sketches.

Sample Pages

Page 7: Pyrénée and the Bear discuss the meaning of names
Page 9: Pyrénée picks flowers and the Bear asks why
Page 13: Pyrénée learns that foraging for honey may not be as easy as it  looks
Page 23: Pyrénée finds an unusual object in the river
Page 44: The Eagle is annoyed when Pyrénée fails to catch a rabbit

Articles (various languages)

Lambiek.net: Philippe Sternis | Interview with Philippe Sternis | Another interview with Philippe Sternis | Critique | A brief critique (bottom of page) | L’enfant Sauvage (first article on page) | Dutch and French covers | German critique | German article: Kleine nackte Mädchen

Collector Sketches


Pyrénée on the rocks |  Pyrénée and the eagle greet Oliver | Pyrénée and Nousnous say “Cou cou” to Hervé (R. V.?) | Pyrénée and the bear greet Magali, Lucas and Aubert | Pyrénée says “Cou cou”to Cedric | Pyrénée and the eagle greet Ivan | Pyrénée and the bear turn their backs to Maggy and Marc


Pyrénée and the bear turn their fronts to Muriel and Jérôme | Pyrénée picks flowers for Hélene, and Nousnous says “Yoohoo” | Pyrénée and the bear say “Cou cou”to Pierre | Pyrénée says “Cou cou”to Alain | Pyrénée and the bear greet Alexandre | Pyrénée says “Cou cou” to Dominique | Pyrénée says “Cou cou” to Tchoul

Preliminary sketches
Preliminary versions of artwork from the second half of the book


Pyrénée and the eagle overindulge in tinned food | Pyrénée finally catches a salmon | Pyrénée gives the eagle some stick | Pyrénée taunts the eagle

Bookplates
These scenes depict typical events in Pyrénée’s life, including several that are not actually in the comic.


Pyrénée hugs the bear | Stormy times for Pyrénée and the bear | Pyrénée greets the eagle but the bear doesn’t seem pleased to see him | Pyrénée and the bear hang out beneath an overhang


Pyrénée tests the water | Pyrénée takes a shower - 1 |
Pyrénée takes a shower - 2 | Pyrénée takes a shower - 3


Pyrénée and friends in Autumn | Pyrénée with all of her animal friends by the river | Pyrénée and the bear relaxing

Publicity artwork:
Pyrénée with clothes...
Wearing clothes is definitely not typical for Pyrénée
(although she makes these outfits work).


Pyrénée (clothed) and the bear go boating | Pyrénée (clothed) running with Aesop’s hare | Pyrénée (clothed) playing basketball with various children’s animal characters | Pyrénée (clothed) climbing with Aesop’s(?) fox | Pyrénée (clothed) in a montage of Sternis motifs

...and without
Despite her occasional attempts to become a fashion victim
I like to think that Pyrénée will always be a nature girl at heart.


Cuvée de la Grande Ourse (I think that’s a pun!!!) | Pyrénée and a monkey from another comic, swinging on a vine | The bear brings Pyrénée some cats (not to eat?) | Poster girl


Pyrénée and the bear in reflective mood... and who’s that with them?! | Pyrénée and friends stroll right into town | Pyrénée and the bear - bubbly! | Pyrénée and the bear reading a comic

Pyrénée Fan Art

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