Illustrator François Schuiten needs no introduction. Writer Sylvain Tesson, born on 26 April 1972 in Paris, is a French travel writer. A geographer by training, he chose at a very young age to undertake journeys and expeditions in often extreme conditions (crossing continents by bicycle or on foot) from which he brought back notebooks or films. Author of travel stories and books of reflection, he is the winner of numerous literary prizes, including the Goncourt short story prize in 2009 and the Renaudot prize in 2019 2).
Louis Vuitton’s Travel Book series lies somewhere between the travel journal and the sketchbook, inviting artists from around the world to create illustrations devoted to a country or a city. The collection offers a new, contemporary vision of travel, exploring both remote wildernesses and cities that never sleep while confronting an unfamiliar place with a viewpoint sharpened by the surprise of the unknown or stimulated by the pleasure of rediscovery. This vision of a place as a blank page inspires commentary that may be narrative, affectionate, satirical or picturesque through diverse modes of expression including drawing, painting, collage, contemporary art, illustration, cartoons and manga. 3)