Original title:Les adventures de Hergé - Créateur de Tintin
By: Michael Farr
Language: Swedish (French/English)
128 pages,color
ISBN: 978-91-638-6146-8 (Swedish edition)
It has been said of Tintin that he is not of an age, he is timeless. He is also a character that transcends national borders, being just as popular in countries all over the world as in Belgium, the birthplace of his creator George Remi, or Hergé as he signed his comics. Therefore it might not be so strange that one of, if not the leading Tintinologist (and the fact that such a word exists says a lot about the phenomenon that is Tintin) is not from Belgium or even from the country which has more or less claimed Tintin: France. No he's from Great Britain! Granted, Michael Farr is bilingual, and writes his books in both English and French simultaneously, but he is still a "Rosbif"... But maybe that´s why he has been given audience with Hergés widow and has to date written no less than four authorised books about Tintin and Hergé.
The Adventures of Hergé - Creator of Tintin is the fourth of Farr's books and the third to be published in Swedish in about as many years, and considering that these are almost the only books about comics published in Sweden during that same period, this says quite a lot about our relationship with Tintin. Anyway, these books are all meticulously researched and beautifully written. It is also quite obvious that Farr has a plan. After the more general first book, Tintin, 60 years Of Adventure, he has produced one book scrutinising each of the classical albums: Tintin The Complete Companion, one book delving into the characters of the series: Tintin And Co. and now one book about the creator, Hergé: The Adventures Of Hergé, Creator Of Tintin.
Almost one meters length in my bookshelf for books about certain comics and creators is occupied by books about Tintin and Hergé and one would assume that this might be enough. But I must admit that reading Farr's book was both educational and entertaining. It is not a traditional, chronological biography, but divided into chapters based on certain key elements in Hergé's life. It is also richly illustrated with many as yet unpublished sketches and drawings by Hergé, making it a breeze to read.
The book is available in many languages by now. The Swedish edition has the advantage of being translated by the most well-known Tintinologist in Sweden, Björn Wahlberg, who has added a large number of insightful translators remarks, which ads valuable information.
All in all, this book is an authorised biography, and as such it does not delve too much into the darker parts of Hergés life, his infidelities, his association with the Germans during the occupation of Belgium, his depressions, but it is well written and interesting and a treasure trove of information.
