Death of designer Bernadette Després, “mom” of Tom-Tom and Nana, at the age of 83

Bernadette Després, French illustrator known for having co-written the successful series Tom-Tom and Nanadied this Wednesday, November 20 at the age of 83.

The world of children's literature is in mourning. Bernadette Afterwardsillustrator and comic book author, died this Wednesday, November 20. She was 83 years old. The news of his disappearance was confirmed by Bayard editions to our colleagues at Monde. A designer since the age of 12, she spoke of the great success of her career in the show Steven's guest : having been the illustrator of the series Tom-Tom and Nana. “It only started in 1977, it still lasted 40 years (…) Everything was done so that it could last (…) It really caught on very quickly“, she said. “Quite unique editorial phenomenon in French-speaking children's literature“, the comic series sold 15 million copies, as recalled The World. And it's in the pages of the first issue of I like to read that the children were able to discover the adventures of these two brothers and sisters.

Death of Bernadette Després: look back at the success of her career with Tom-Tom and Nana

In 2021, in an interview broadcast on TéléTOON+Bernadette Després had said more about the genesis of this success which she led, among others, with Jacqueline Cohenone of the project's screenwriters. “I had drawn things that were the street, the shopkeepers. From the first drawing, it was that: a village and town appearance. There has to be a brother and a sister, obviously. Immediately Tom-Tom and Nana and then create this whole family. It would be good for them to live in a restaurant, the father who runs the kitchen, the mother who runs the cash register and Tom-Tom and Nana who will inevitably cause a bit of chaos. For me it was great“, she explained. The adventure ended in 2009 when Jacqueline Cohen “stopped writing stories“. “I would have liked to continue. Drawing Tom-Tom and Nana was such a joy. I never got tired of it“, she confided in 2019 to Mondeshe who in the meantime was employed by Bayard Presse.

Bernadette Després, mother of four children

Born in Paris in 1941, Bernadette Després had lived in Loiret since 1974. During her career, she received two awards:a Legion of Honor in 2020 and a Fauve d'honneur during the Angoulême festival in 2019. In her private life, she was married to Denis Charignon whom she met in 1969, a painter who died in 2017 with whom she had four children, including a daughter named Lucile Leroy.