Hergé, creator of Tintin was born 100 years ago today.

[belbbmfan]

It's been on the radio all day long: Tintin day. I need to go and read a Tintin comic, I haven't done that in a very long time.

I found this article on the bbc news website:

Belgium is celebrating the centenary of the birth of Herge, the cartoonist who created the most famous Belgian of them all, Tintin.

Commemorative stamps and currency, a new Herge museum and exhibitions of his work are marking the anniversary.

Millions of Tintin fans are also looking forward to the recently announced Hollywood trilogy.

An estimated 200 million copies have been sold of the 23 adventures of the bright eyed, bequiffed boy reporter.


Tintin was the creation of Georges Remi, who was born in Brussels on 22 May 1907.

Reverse the initials - pronounced zhay-air in French - and you get Herge.


His creation first appeared in a Belgian newspaper in 1929 as he made an anti-communist journey to the Soviet Union.

Herge quickly developed his hugely influential "clear line", as it is called - a precise immaculate drawing style which brought him huge success.

Among Tintin's adventures was a trip to the then-Belgian Congo, which Herge later redrew, admitting it had too many of the prejudices of its time.

His reputation is still affected by the fact he continued to publish Tintin strips in Nazi-controlled papers during World War II, but he was in effect cleared of collaboration soon after and created a commercial empire based on his success.

Since his death in 1983, Herge has been the subject of serious cultural analysis.

Tintin is said to embody the myth of the superchild, for example, and could even contain the very secret of literature according to one critic.

Herge's instructions that no-one should ever draw another Tintin has not put off fans, pornographers or anarchists from producing spoof Tintin strips.

But now the Herge estate has sanctioned a Hollywood trilogy overseen by Stephen Spielberg which should ensure world domination for this great Belgian.

[Meryl]

Thanks for the info, Fabienne.  I don't remember ever reading any of the Tintin comics, but I'd like to.  He looks rather like my brother Skip when he was a kid.  Skip's birthday is also May 22. 

[Meryl]

And while we're at it, here's one that turned up that makes me think Herge would have been a big Brokeback fan. 

[Ellemeno]

I did grow up reading Tintin.  I am glad to read about how his name came to be Herge.  It always seemed unusual.  As I've told Fabienne, I never realized it was Belgian.  I also read quite a few Asterix.

[MaineWriter]

Well, as Fabienne knows, I am a Tintin fan, as is my daughter Hannah. Fabienne and I paid a visit to the Tintin store in Brugge and I bought Hannah a pair of  Tintin socks. I bought myself a Tintin keychain. Fabienne also bought Hannah a book, "Kuifje in Amerika." "Kuifje" means cowlick and that is what they call Tintin in Dutch.

His dog has various names, too. In French he is Milou; in English, Snowy; and in Dutch, Bobbie.

Leslie

[Ellemeno]

And while we're at it, here's one that turned up that makes me think Herge would have been a big Brokeback fan. 

Gacked for my new avatar.  [Elle uses her newest vocabulary word.]

[Meryl]

Cute choice, Elle! 

[belbbmfan]

great picture Elle

It's from the album 'Kuifje in Amerika' or Tintin in America.



(for some reason or other these pictures are very small, sorry about that)

[MaineWriter]

great picture Elle

It's from the album 'Kuifje in Amerika' or Tintin in America.



(for some reason or other these pictures are very small, sorry about that)

I have been "reading" Kuifje in Amerika" and on that particular picture (the campfire picture) it says, "Bij 't krieken van de dag gaan we weer op weg. Die boef mag ons in geen geval ontsnappen."

Apparently, this particular story sticks in everyone's mind because of Tintin in his cowboy get up. A few pages before the campfire scene, Tintin is in the store buying his new clothes and as he admires himself in the mirror, he says, "Zo? Dit is prima!"

L

[Ellemeno]

I have been "reading" Kuifje in Amerika" and on that particular picture (the campfire picture) it says, "Bij 't krieken van de dag gaan we weer op weg. Die boef mag ons in geen geval ontsnappen."

Apparently, this particular story sticks in everyone's mind because of Tintin in his cowboy get up. A few pages before the campfire scene, Tintin is in the store buying his new clothes and as he admires himself in th mirror, he says, "Zo? Dit is prima!"

L

Thanks Leslie.  I think "Zo? Dit is prima!" is a perfect addition to my new avatar.  Couldn't figure out the longer quote.

[MaineWriter]

Thanks Leslie.  I think "Zo? Dit is prima!" is a perfect addition to my new avatar.  Couldn't figure out the longer quote.

I am sure Fabienne will fill us in when she finishes her errands!

L

[belbbmfan]

I am sure Fabienne will fill us in when she finishes her errands!

L

I will, I will!

but now i'm off to the cinema!

never enough time, never enough 

[belbbmfan]

Okay, I'm back. We saw The Good Shepperd, great movie.


Anyway, 'Zo, dit is prima' in english would be 'There, that looks fine' or 'that's okay'.

And this concludes the Dutch lesson for today. 

Goedenavond.

[MaineWriter]

Concludes?? What about the other phrase?

Bij 't krieken van de dag gaan we weer op weg. Die boef mag ons in geen geval ontsnappen.

That is what he was *really* saying when he sat next to the campfire!

L

[Ellemeno]

Okay, I'm back. We saw The Good Shepperd, great movie.


Anyway, 'Zo, dit is prima' in english would be 'There, that looks fine' or 'that's okay'.

And this concludes the Dutch lesson for today. 

Goedenavond.

I just saw the Good Shepherd recently too, and enjoyed it.  Hey!  I can tell "goedenavond" looks like Guten abend.  Right, hunh?

[belbbmfan]

Shepherd, of course, not shepperd!

Goedenavond is indeed Guten Abend. Dutch and German are similar languages. Although I know Louise doens't agree, she speaks German fluently and couldn't understand a word when she heard my daughters talking in dutch.

Concludes?? What about the other phrase?

Bij 't krieken van de dag gaan we weer op weg. Die boef mag ons in geen geval ontsnappen.

That is what he was *really* saying when he sat next to the campfire!

L

Okay, lesson number 2: 

'Bij 't krieken van de dag gaan we weer op weg. Die boef mag ons in geen geval ontsnappen.'

'At the crack of dawn, we'll be on our way. No way that crook will escape.' Or, 'under no circumstance that crook will get away from us'.


It's very strange to see Dutch appear on this forum. I recognize it at once of course but I immediately think, 'hunh?, that's not right'. It's fun though!

or... plezant.

[Ellemeno]

Okay, lesson number 2: 

'Bij 't krieken van de dag gaan we weer op weg. Die boef mag ons in geen geval ontsnappen.'

'At the crack of dawn, we'll be on our way. No way that crook will escape.' Or, 'under no circumstance that crook will get away from us'.


It's very strange to see Dutch appear on this forum. I recognize it at once of course but I immediately think, 'hunh?, that's not right'. It's fun though!

or... plezant.

I think the part I highlighted will be my pre-BBQ motto!  Couple that with Toast's BBM4000 license plate, and I'm good to go! 

[David In Indy]

Shepherd, of course, not shepperd!

Goedenavond is indeed Guten Abend. Dutch and German are similar languages. Although I know Louise doens't agree, she speaks German fluently and couldn't understand a word when she heard my daughters talking in dutch.


Okay, lesson number 2: 

'Bij 't krieken van de dag gaan we weer op weg. Die boef mag ons in geen geval ontsnappen.'

'At the crack of dawn, we'll be on our way. No way that crook will escape.' Or, 'under no circumstance that crook will get away from us'.


It's very strange to see Dutch appear on this forum. I recognize it at once of course but I immediately think, 'hunh?, that's not right'. It's fun though!

or... plezant.

Nederlands!    Ik vind het heel leuk! 

What ya'll talking about anyway?? 

  

[belbbmfan]

Blij dat je 't leuk vindt David.


We were talking about a belgian comic book by Hergé, who was born 100 years ago. He created Tintin (or Kuifje in dutch). When Leslie was here in April I gave her a copy of 'Tintin in America' in dutch. I was translating some of the pictures for her, although her dutch is pretty good by now.

Rembember Leslie? Dagsoep? Fazant? 


Have you ever read Tintin David? Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson will both do a Tintin movie in the future. A deal has been made with the family of Hergé. Both movies will be part of a trilogy. The third director isn't yet known. Apparently Hergé insisted that Spielberg would be one to make a Tintin movie.

[Ellemeno]

Have you ever read Tintin David? Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson will both do a Tintin movie in the future. A deal has been made with the family of Hergé. Both movies will be part of a trilogy. The third director isn't yet known. Apparently Hergé insisted that Spielberg would be one to make a Tintin movie.

Maybe Ang? 

[MaineWriter]

Blij dat je 't leuk vindt David.


We were talking about a belgian comic book by Hergé, who was born 100 years ago. He created Tintin (or Kuifje in dutch). When Leslie was here in April I gave her a copy of 'Tintin in America' in dutch. I was translating some of the pictures for her, although her dutch is pretty good by now.

Rembember Leslie? Dagsoep? Fazant? 

Ah yes, dagsoep! My Dutch is pretty good (!) both from reading "Kuifje in Amerika" and also from studying "Haar Penisboek." The latter has been a great source of new words. 

We used to read Tintin in French, in French class, but only on Fridays. It was a "fun" thing and the rest of the days we had to learn "serious" French. Of course, I learned more on the Tintin days than on any other day of the week.

I also remember watching Tintin cartoons. They would start with the announcer saying in sonorous tones, "Herge's adventures of Tin.....tin.....!" Since the introduction was in English, I imagine the cartoons were in English, but we were watching them in French class.

Leslie

[David In Indy]

Have you ever read Tintin David? Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson will both do a Tintin movie in the future. A deal has been made with the family of Hergé. Both movies will be part of a trilogy. The third director isn't yet known. Apparently Hergé insisted that Spielberg would be one to make a Tintin movie.

I have never read him, but I have heard of him I think! Isn't he a comic book character? He travels around the world and he has a little white dog?

Don't you all have a comic book museum over there in Belgium? I think I saw something about this on the Travel Channel and they showed some original Tintin comic books inside the museum. Tintin sounds like a very cute story. 

[belbbmfan]

Yes, there's a comic book (or 'strip' in Dutch) museum in Brussels. This is what i found on the website: "The Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée
(Belgian Center for Comic Strip Art) encompasses a dazzling celebration of the strip cartoon, the 'bande dessinée'. The strip cartoon is closely associated with Belgium, not least in the shape of Hergé's (Georges Rémi's) famous character Tintin, created back in 1929. The form has strong design links to art nouveau and it is an added delight that the museum building was designed in 1906 as a fabric shop by Victor Horta, one of the most distinguished of art nouveau architects."

Here are a few pictures: You'll notice the rocket Tintin used to go to the moon in the album 'Tintin on the moon' is a big feature.






All in different parts of Brussels there are muruals referring to comic book characters, like Tintin (Leslie, this was in the street near Manneken Pis, but i think it was already too dark to fully appreciate it when we were there.)


and here's another, 'Kwik en Flupke' two other Hergé characters.

[opinionista]

Borders stores in UK shelve Tintin book

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press Writer

LONDON - Borders is removing "Tintin in the Congo" from the children's section of its British stores, after a customer complained the comic work was racist, the company said Thursday.

David Enright, a London-based human-rights lawyer, was shopping at Borders with his family when he came upon the book, first published in 1931, and opened it to find what he characterized as racist abuse.

"The material suggests to (children) that Africans are subhuman, that they are imbeciles, that they're half savage," Enright said in a telephone interview.

"My black wife, who actually comes from Africa originally, is sitting there with my boys and I'm about to hand this book to them.... What message am I sending to them? That my wife is a monkey, that they are monkeys?"

The book is the second in a series of 23 tracing the adventures of Tintin, an intrepid reporter, and his dog, Snowy. The series has sold 220 million copies worldwide and been translated in 77 languages.

But "Tintin in the Congo" has been widely criticized as racist by fans and critics alike.

In it, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi depicts the white hero's adventures in the Congo against the backdrop of an idiotic, chimpanzee-like native population that eventually comes to worship Tintin — and his dog — as gods.

Remi later said he was embarrassed by the book, and some editions have had the more objectionable content removed. When an unexpurgated edition was brought out in Britain in 2005, it came wrapped with a warning and was written with a forward explaining the work's colonial context.

Enright, who said he first complained to Borders and Britain's Commission for Racial Equality about a month ago, argued such a warning was not enough.

"Whether it's got a piece of flimsy paper around it or not, it's irrelevant, it's in the children's section," he said, adding that he felt the book should be treated like pornography or anti-Semitic literature and not displayed in mainstream bookstores at all.

Borders agreed to move the book to its adult graphic novels section, but said in a statement it would continue to sell it.

The Commission for Racial Equality backed Enright, saying in a statement Thursday that the book was full of "hideous racial prejudice."

"The only place that it might be acceptable for this to be displayed would be in a museum, with a big sign saying `old fashioned, racist claptrap.'"

From: Yahoo News

[Meryl]

Guess what?  There's a 3-movie project in the works featuring Tintin!  Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are directing two of the movies, with the third director still to be decided.  They'll be in 3-D, too.  Sounds fascinating. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071217/en_nm/gollum1_dc_1

[Ellemeno]

Guess what?  There's a 3-movie project in the works featuring Tintin!  Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are directing two of the movies, with the third director still to be decided.  They'll be in 3-D, too.  Sounds fascinating. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071217/en_nm/gollum1_dc_1

Ang? 

[Meryl]

Ang? 

Way cool idea! 

[southendmd]

[Front-Ranger]

Very clever!

[Sason]

I agree, very fun and clever!

This is a new one to me. Where did you find it, Paul?

[Aloysius J. Gleek]

https://www.naufrageur.com/a-safarir.html

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safarir

http://www.safarir.com/

[southendmd]

I came across it on ebay.

[Sason]

I should have guessed.

[CellarDweller]

I was wondering  why I was seeing a bunch of TinTin stuff around that time.

I remember having one or two TinTin books back in the day, but I wasn't a regular follower of his adventures.