Born in Brussels on 16 January 1939, Jean Van Hamme is a great commercial talent with degrees in finance, journalism, and civic law, and he is also qualified to teach political economics.
After a brilliant international career, in 1976 he left his job as general manager of Philips Belgium to become a writer.
While writing six novels about the adventures of etamp;ldquo;Largo Winchetamp;rdquo; for Mercure de France, he also took up scriptwriting for Tintin: strips for Attanasio (etamp;ldquo;Modeste et Pomponetamp;rdquo;), a mythological adventure (etamp;ldquo;Epoxyetamp;rdquo;) and episodes of etamp;ldquo;Corentinetamp;rdquo; for Paul Cuvelier, etamp;ldquo;Michael Loganetamp;rdquo; for André Beautemps, etamp;ldquo;Dominoetamp;rdquo; for Cheret, etamp;ldquo;Histoire sans hérosetamp;rdquo; and etamp;ldquo;Arlequinetamp;rdquo; for Dany, and etamp;ldquo;Mr Magellanetamp;rdquo; for Géri.
He started working on the etamp;ldquo;Thorgaletamp;rdquo; saga for Grzegorz Roszinski, with whom he later created etamp;ldquo;Le Grand Pouvoir du Chninkeletamp;rdquo; for Casterman.
He then wrote the etamp;ldquo;XIIIetamp;rdquo; series for Vance at Dargaud and etamp;ldquo;Les Maîtres de l'orgeetamp;rdquo; for Vallès at Éditions Glénat.
We must also thank him for several scripts for television (the adaptation of etamp;ldquo;Maîtres de l'Orgeetamp;rdquo;), and cinema (etamp;ldquo;Divaetamp;rdquo; by Jean-Jacques Beneix and etamp;ldquo;Meurtres à domicileetamp;rdquo; by Marc Lobet).
In 1987, he managed Éditions Dupuis for one year. He launched the bestseller series etamp;ldquo;Largo Winchetamp;rdquo; with Philippe Francq and developed what would become the etamp;ldquo;Aire Libreetamp;rdquo; collection, for which he created the stories of etamp;ldquo;S.
O. S. Bonheur, etamp;rdquo; illustrated by Griffo, and etamp;ldquo;Lune de guerreetamp;rdquo; with Hermann.
Having closely examined all the techniques of popular storytelling, Van Hamme has become a scriptwriter who turns everything he writes into gold. So it is hardly surprising that one of his most recent projects, which was to bring the characters of etamp;ldquo;Blake and Mortimeretamp;rdquo; back to life together with illustrator Ted Benoît, was an enormous success.
We can think of no one better suited to continue the classical tradition of Edgar P. Jacobs.
In addition to teaching at the Institut d'Arts de Diffusion (Louvain-la-Neuve), he has also been the chairman of the Centre Belge de le Bande Dessinée since 1992.
