Flic

the true story of the journalist who infiltrated the police
Valentin Gendrot (trans. Frank Wynne) (illus. Thierry Chavant)

‘I am a criminologist, and Flic is as effective and nuanced a depiction of policing as I have encountered. That it is presented in cartoon form, with all the characters depicted as cats — well, it shouldn’t work, but it does.’

Richard Evans, Inside Story

‘What [Gendrot] depicts is a world of nihilistic cynicism. Stewing in racist invective and anti-bureaucratic rage at the mountains of paperwork they are buried under, Gendrot’s fellow officers come across as frustrated and thwarted. They take that anger out on usually defenseless immigrants. While Gendrot depicts many potent scenes of vindictive violence — at one point, he witnesses cops pummeling a teenager with all the vicious senselessness of a scene out of A Clockwork Orange— he also digs into the policing institution’s sad state of logistical affairs. After one officer kills himself, Gendrot delves into the sense of helplessness that leads so many other police to do the same (51 in 2017). The work builds into an empathetic chronicle of human suffering, with Gendrot emerging more mystified more than outraged. It’s a thought-provoking affront to any reader looking for simple solutions.’

Publishers Weekly

View all reviews

‘In his intimate and revealing inside look at France’s police culture, journalist Valentin Gendrot depicts his two year undercover investigation. Juxtaposed with playful feline illustrations, this shocking exposé is as relevant as ever.’

New York Public Library, ‘NYPL Recommends: Best New Comics for Adults’

flic
(French noun, slang)
cop; police officer

Flic
(noun)
The gripping and groundbreaking work of French comics journalism.

What happens behind the walls of a police station? What kind of living does a cop make? And how does a culture of racism and violence become entrenched? Valentin Gendrot went undercover in Paris to find the answers — revelations that rocked France and led to a series of investigations, including an internal affairs case on Gendrot himself.

Flic is an exposé of a world never before seen by outsiders, an urgent story for our times, powerfully illustrated by the talented Thierry Chavant.

Richard Evans, Inside Story

Publishers Weekly

View all reviews

BUY EBOOK

Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 255mm × 196mm

Extent:144pp with Full colour throughout

ISBN (13):9781922585714

RRP:£20.00

Pub date:13 Jul 2023

High-res cover:Download Image

AWARDS

CATEGORIES / tags

AUTHOR

Valentin Gendrot

Born in 1988, Valentin Gendrot worked on local newspapers and radio after graduating from journalism college, and carried out several undercover investigations — including working on a Toyota production line and in a Lidl supermarket — before joining the Paris police force.

TRANSLATOR

Frank Wynne

Frank Wynne is an Irish literary translator, writer, and editor. He has translated numerous French and Hispanic authors including Michel Houellebecq, Patrick Modiano, Javier Cercas, and Virginie Despentes. Over a career spanning more than twenty years, his work has earned him the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, and he was twice awarded both the Scott Moncrieff Prize and the Premio Valle Inclán. Most recently, his translation of Animalia by Jean-Baptiste del Amo won the 2020 Republic of Consciousness Prize. He has edited two major anthologies, Found in Translation: 100 of the finest short stories ever translated (2018) and QUEER: LGBT writing from ancient times to yesterday (2021).

ILLUSTRATOR

Thierry Chavant

Thierry Chavant is the artistic director of the Nouvel Eldorado ad agency. He has been illustrating comics since 2005.

HOME

Books

Authors

Blog

Events

About Us

Contact Us

Books

Authors

Blog

Events

About Us

Contact Us

We publish books that matter — narrative and literary nonfiction on important topics, and the best of local, international, and translated fiction.

NO ITEMS

LOG IN

Flic

the true story of the journalist who infiltrated the police
Valentin Gendrot (trans. Frank Wynne) (illus. Thierry Chavant)

Related content

ILLUSTRATOR

AUTHOR

TRANSLATOR

Cop

Multi-time winner of the Australian Small Publisher of the Year Award

Flic

the true story of the journalist who infiltrated the police Valentin Gendrot (trans. Frank Wynne) (illus. Thierry Chavant)

Related content

ILLUSTRATOR

AUTHOR

TRANSLATOR

the true story of the journalist who infiltrated the police
Valentin Gendrot (trans. Frank Wynne) (illus. Thierry Chavant)