Marguerite Abouet

Marguerite Abouet (born 1971) is an Ivorian writer of bandes dessinées, best known for her graphic novel series Aya and Akissi.

Biography Abouet was born in 1971 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, She currently lives in Romainville, a suburb of Paris, with her husband, illustrator Clément Oubrerie (who illustrates her graphic concepts), and their young son. She worked as a legal assistant in Paris while writing her first graphic novel, Aya. Abouet had tried to write novels for young people, but she gave up in frustration with what she perceived to be the constraints put on the genre by the publishers. She left her job as a legal assistant to concentrate on writing full-time.

Education Abouet finished her education in Paris, France. Her characters attend school, trudge to work, plan for the future and are ensnared in domestic entanglements in Ivory Coast in the same way as happens everywhere else. The story has been adapted into an animated film, Aya of Yop City, co-directed by Abouet.

Abouet denies that Aya is autobiographical, except in the sense that it depicts the Ivory Coast that she is familiar with. The characters are based on people she knew growing up, but the situations are purely fictional.

Aya character designs' show diversity that help enhance the world that Abouet is trying to share. The design choices Abouet chooses enhance the African culture through its diversity through hairstyles, clothing, and facial expressions. The story is not told through a filter that explains the meaning behind every cultural aspect of the story and allows the reader to do their own research. Abouet tends to show what's happening rather than tell. Abouet uses sarcasm and satire to tell her story.

As of 2023, the Aya series includes 8 graphic novels, 7 of which have been released in English. According to The New York Times, Aya book sales surged during the George Floyd protests, and the series is experiencing a revival worldwide, especially in the French-speaking African diaspora.

Akissi de Paris In collaboration with cartoonist Mathieu Sapin, Abouet created a new character, Akissi.