Who, me?
Fisso, a.k.a Sophie Lizeray is a best-selling author-illustrator of Wandering Angkor, Fisso’s World in Cambodia and Dancing Devas, illustrated books on Cambodia and Southeast Asia for adults and children.
She attended university, earning degrees in science, humanities and art (and probably doodling a bit too much on her class notes). She worked as a Landscape Architect for many years, in projects spanning urban development to built heritage conservation, in Europe and Asia, before developing a career in wellness (more about that here) and pursuing writing and illustrating.
As a bicultural and biracial adult, Sophie creates books and stories where cultures and skin colors mix and for the little girl in her to recognize herself in the books she reads.
Sophie is also a yoga and meditation teacher and herbalist.
Connect with her on fissosworld.com and on IG @fissosworld
In the press
“Wandering Angkor” in the Phnom Penh Post January 17 2014, article by Miranda Glasser
A few words about Sophie’s books as cultural bridges:
As a child of mixed heritage, with unruly hair and visibly brown skin, I grew up loving stories… but not recognizing myself in them. Why did the princesses (nearly always) have light hair or fair skin? Why were all the books we read in school set in Europe or North America? I mean, even the stories I wrote and drew as a child featured light colored characters with long smooth hair…
Then one day when I was in Elementary school, a neighbor gifted me the Children’s novel she had written. The neighbor was Minfong Ho, and her book was Sing to the Dawn (which I love). What a revelation : a book in English for kids about kids in Thailand! Books about brown kids was possible! I now had books in my shelf that reflected my bi-racial and multicultural background.
Fast forward to where I stand today: creating stories where cultures and skin colors mix.
Sophie Lizeray