Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier
Black Coat Press is a small press publisher from California, USA, established in July 2003 by Jean-Marc Lofficier et Randy Lofficier. The Black Coat name is the translation of the Paul Féval ‘s series of novels’ title, “Les Habits noirs”.
In 2003, the Lofficiers created their own small press, Black Coat Press, in order to publish classics of french SF&F thrillers into english, relying in part on the output of british writer/translator Brian Stableford. Also, Black Coat Press becamed a division of Hollywood Comics, a leading talent agency representing some of the world’s best writers and artists in the fields of motion pictures, television, multimedia, publishing and merchandising.
Black Coat Press is primarily devoted to publishing english-language translations of classics of french popular literature, in the science fiction, fantasy and mystery genres, as well as classic french comics and a few stage plays. Black Coat Press had launched an extensive program of translations of both classic and contemporary works of French science fiction and fantasy, spearheaded by award-winning writer and translator Brian Stableford, under the editorship of Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier.
Some of the best contemporary french SF writers as Gérard Klein with “The Mote in Time’s Eye” (Les Tueurs de temps), Michel Jeury with “Chronolysis”, Pierre Pelot with “The Child Who Walked on the Sky” (L’Enfant qui Marchait sur le Ciel), Jean-Claude Dunyach with “The Thieves of Silence” (Voleurs de Silence) and “The Night Orchid”, Xavier Mauméjean’s award-winning novel “The League of Heroes“ (La Ligue des héros), G.J.Arnaud with “The Ice Company” (La Compagnie des glaces”), Nathalie Henneberg with “The Green Gods” (Les Dieux verts ), Richard Bessière with “The Gardens of the Apocalypse” (Les Jardins de l’Apocalypse), Kurt Steiner with “Ostrog” are present in english translations. André Caroff and P.-J. Hérault’s novels are also planned.
In 2005, the Lofficiers left California and relocated to the town of Chalabre, in the South of France. They started another small press, Rivière Blanche (White River), a tribute to the famous Fleuve Noir Anticipation (Black River Anticipation) series; Rivière Blanche is coordinated by Philippe Ward) which publishes french science fiction novels in french, for the french market, science fiction novels in the nostalgic style of the long-defunct Anticipation imprint of Editions Fleuve Noir.
SF&F themes are explored in a Black Coat’s new series of translations of classic novels of French science fiction and fantasy, spearheaded by award-winning writer and translator Brian Stableford : for example Stableford’s translations of a five-volume series of works by Maurice Renard (“Blue Peril” and „Doctor Lerne”) and a seven-volume series of works by J.-H. Rosny Aîné, the two most important writers of Golden Age French SF after Jules Verne.
Black Coat Press had released a new series of French classics : among the proto- and golden age French science fiction classics already released by Black Coat Press are such significant works as Félix Bodin’s “The Novel of the Future” (1834), Didier de Chousy’s „Ignis” (1883), C.I. Defontenay’s “Star-Psi Cassiopeia” (1854), Charles Derennes’ “The People of the Pole” (1907), Arthur Galopin’s “Doctor Omega” (1906), Octave Joncquel & Théo Varlet’s “The Martian Epic” (1921), Jean de La Hire’s “Nyctalope” novels (1911-21), Georges Le Faure & Henri de Graffigny’s “The Extraordinary Adventures of a Russian Scientist across the Solar System“ (1888-96), Gustave Le Rouge’s “The Vampires of Mars” (1908), Jules Lermina’s “Panic in Paris” (1910), Henri de Parville’s “An Inhabitant of the Planet Mars” (1865), Gaston de Pawlowski’s “Journey to the Land of the 4th Dimension” (1912), as well as two collections of Villiers de l’Isle-Adam stories, two collections of the pulp hero adventures of Sâr Dubnotal and Harry Dickson, two anthologies of ground-breaking proto-SF stories by Brian Stableford ; the ground-breaking 18th century novels “Lamekis”, “Giphantia” and “Amilec” (Charles-François Tiphaigne de la Roche). At the top of the list are Jacques Spitz with “The Eye of the Purgatory”, Albert Robida with “Chalet in the Sky”, “The Adventures of Saturnin Farandoul” (1879) and “The Clock of the Centuries” (1902), (1925), Louis Boussenard, Achille Euyraud with “Voyage to Venus” (1865), Jules Lermina with “The Secret of Zippelius” (1893), Henri Allorge with “The Great Cataclysm” (1927), Renée Dunan with “Baal” (1924), Jean Richepin with “Wings” (1911), as well as works by Charles Cros, André Bleunard, Alphonse Brown, Gabriel de Lautrec, Han Ryner, Paul Vibert and more.
Jean-Marc Lofficier (born June 22nd, 1954) is a french author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comic books and translations of a number of animation screenplays. Graduating from the Sorbonne Law University and from ESCP Europe Business School in 1978, Jean-Marc Lofficier moved to Los Angeles, California, where he met Randy. He usually collaborates with his wife, Randy Lofficier (born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 3rd, 1953).
Writer/translator Brian Stableford, editor/translators Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier, and Black Coat Press have won a Special Award for their outstanding work in bringing French science fiction to the English-speaking public.
The award is part of the coveted Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire (Great Award of the Imaginary), the oldest and most prestigious genre award in France. Created in 1974, the “GPI” is given yearly by a jury of twelve professionals.
This award recognizes the unprecedented effort made by Black Coat Press, established in 2003 by the Lofficiers, to publish classic French science fiction in the United States. In total, over twenty new translations had been released in the last years, the continuation of an unprecedented and award-winning effort in the history of genre publishing.
Since its inception in the summer of 2003, Black Coat Press has been the foremost publisher of French science fiction in the English-language.
Find out more about Black Coat Press at their web site: www.blackcoatpress.com
http://www.blackcoatpress.com/#Sciencefiction
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Coat-Press/337697694704
