Jean-Claude Carrière’s cinematic, theatrical, literary and philosophical work needs no introduction. Yet very few people know that he has always drawn, too, usually in his notebooks. Travel sketches, Paris street scenes, images from his own imagination and from film shoots, portraits of directors, actors and more, Jean-Claude Carrière draws practically every day. Drawing both helps him focus and stimulates his memory. Whether he’s using colorful felt-tip pens or India ink spontaneity and expressiveness are what counts. We recognize his recurrent preoccupations and obsessions, as well as his omnipresent sense of humor. For this book, he has written short texts that help situate the place, people and context that inspired him to draw.

For the first time ever, Jean-Claude Carrière is sharing his sketchbooks, which he had previously shown only to close friends, with a broader public. From Buñuel to Godard via Marlene Dietrich, we get to see turning points in Carrière’s life through his own eyes. The book presents a selection chosen from among thousands of drawings.