Authors / Jan Cleijne

Jan Cleijne

Jan Cleijne

© David Meijer

Jan Cleijne (b. 1977) is a cartoonist, illustrator and amateur cyclist. He has been involved with several animated films, has drawn short stories and has worked for various magazines. Helden van de Tour (Heroes of the Tours, 2013) is his first graphic novel and has been published in English, French, Danish and German. It is preparating in Spanish.

Press on Helden van de Tour (Heroes of the Tours):

Oh what a fantastic book this is. Not only is it a wonderfully concise history of the Tour, it is quite ravishing to behold. I adored it. - Observer

Goodness, what great drawings. - Veronica Gids ****

Lots of beautifully drawn images. - Nederlands Dagblad

From the sepia-coloured beginning in 1903, when the cyclists had to endure a first stage of 467 kilometres on bikes without gears, to the colourful present with its publicity caravan, the mass pile-ups and the endless talk of doping. [...] Cleijne portrays the familiar scenes quite beautifully. - De Volkskrant

The book is structured chronologically, but Cleijne never avoids the subject of doping. [...] The origins of the Tour as a ploy to sell newspapers and subsequent key changes are portrayed in a very compelling way. [...] - Het Parool ****

A book so gorgeous it deserves to be put on display as if it were an illuminated manuscript. – Observer

Title

  • Helden van de Tour (Heroes of the Tour), 2013 - Published by Oog & Blik