France's top comic strip artist has accused the government of the "worst censorship in publishing history" after it cancelled a 900,000-copy order of his modern-day take on Beauty and the Beast.
Jul, whose real name is Julien Berjeaut, is a household name in France for his Stone Age-set Silex and the City series.
He had been tasked by the education ministry to create a contemporary version of the beloved 1740 French fairy tale for a government reading initiative.
The education ministry pulled the plug on the order after officials deemed it inappropriate for pupils to read the comic on their own.
Jul told Le Monde: "I'm flabbergasted. It's a mad and very, very worrying turn of events"
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They cited concerns about references to "alcohol, social networks and complex social realities" in the work.
Caroline Pascal, France's director-general of education, said: "The product cannot be read independently, at home, by families and without the guidance of teachers, by pupils aged 10 to 11."
She suggested the book would be more suitable for teenagers in their mid-teens.
Jul told Le Monde: "I'm flabbergasted. It's a mad and very, very worrying turn of events."
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"Cancelling the printing of 900,000 copies of an illustrated children's classic the day before is unprecedented. Technically, it may even be the biggest case of censorship ever seen in French publishing."
He dismissed the ministry's arguments as "fallacious" and suggested the real issue was his portrayal of Belle.
"Has the presence of curly-haired, swarthy-skinned characters rather than blonde fairy-tale princesses become unbearable for the national education system?"
Education Minister Elisabeth Borne defended the decision, saying Jul's work requires educational context.
He dismissed the ministry's arguments as "fallacious" and suggested the real issue was his portrayal of Belle
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"Jul is very talented, he uses irony and humour. But without educational support, I don't think it's appropriate," she told Europe 1.
She elaborated on CNews: "It's a modern rewrite. We have a father who arrives from Algeria, who has to commit fraud, who is checked by the police."
"Perhaps in a setting with teachers, we can explain this irony. But it's a book that's meant to be read on holiday, with the family."
Borne assured viewers that "the money has not been spent" and "the books have not been printed".
Jul challenged the public to judge for themselves: "I would ask people who may have access to this work one day to look at the book and judge for themselves."
The book's publisher, Grand Palais-RMN Editions, expressed shock at the government's about-turn, confirming they would publish the book regardless of the cancellation.
Borne, however, stated her preface would not appear in the published work.
