Herge: The Man Who Created Tintin

For anyone who is a fan of Herge's works, be it the evergreen reporter Tintin and his adventures, or his funny Quick and Flupke, or the more familial Jo, Zette and Jocko , there is no such thing as enough when it comes to any literature related to the artist or his art.Last few years has seen a surge in books on Herge and Tintin, Michale Farr's works in particular, and the newly translated Art of Herge series have given new insights into the working of Herge. How he went about creating the stories, what he used for his ever so detailed art work as reference, etc.This book by Pierre Assouline is a refreshingly new look at the life and times of Herge. The focus is now on the happenings in the background as Herge went about spinning tale after tale of adventure and fun. It gives a very balanced and unbiased view on Herge, his political social situation, his views and attitudes, and how the political situation in Europe during the early twentieth century was shaping the creativity of Herge and others like him.It talks about interesting things that artists, readers and anyone interested in Tintin, French/Belgian, European art/journalism in that part of history, will find very informative. This also gives a good coverage on some controversial aspects such as racial stereotyping and such. And how Herge was simply being himself, in tune with the times, plain and straight and not worrying about "political correctness" or being a hero. Those were indeed strange times, to learn that Herge was imprisoned for alleged 'collaboration' with the German occupation and some even thought he should be hanged!!The book is full of little stories that give answers to so many questions that we might have, artistically and otherwise, for instance, here is a story about how Herge hired a very talented Jacob who influenced Herge in bringing in meticulous details to the mechanical drawings of cars and airplanes. Numerous such stories fill the book. How people, events and situations influenced the artist in his creation are a very interesting read.The book takes the reader through the life of Herge during his creative professional years, evolution of the stories, evolution of the formats, how it all started as political journalism, as newspaper strip with the journalist investigating communist Russia, colonial Africa etc., and how the Tintin series itself matures and became more sophisticated as time progressed, with adventurous stories such as the Red Rackham's treasure and the The Destination Moon sequels. We also learn about how the series was revised, reformatted, colored and transformed into a uniform series, and how much of time and labour went into it.The book is very well paced, like that of an exciting novel, that you want to finish it all in one go. but being a great fan of Herge and his works, one wants to sip it in ever so slowly, enjoying every bit of it as we enjoy Herge's works.

book is clean but came without a dust jacket...but the price was right ! I would have paid more for a dust jacket.

I approached this biography with great excitement. It's author, Pierre Assouline's previous biography on mystery author, Georges Simenon, was amazing. Unfortunately, Hergé: The Man Who Created Tintin, isn't as good. He seems so mired in touching on the facts that he never draws a proper portrait of the man. Unfortunate, because Hergé is deserving of a proper biography. As interesting as this book is, it isn't the book we have been waiting for. It's a great teaser for a better book.

My grandson is infatuated by Tintin. He received the Complete Set for Christmas. Although he is only 13, he is interested in the creator of such a character. Some of it could be over his head, but he is deligent in getting through the biography. It was the favorite thing in his stocking this Christmas.

This is a book about Georges Remi, lovingly known as Herge to generations of kids and parents. I am a huge fan of Tintin, so the opportunity to read the life of Georges Remi was a treat for me that was both weird, wonderful, and at points an odd comparison between the characters in comic books and the man who drew them. A person is complex and often at odds with the public versus private personas that they have and Georges Remi was no different. This book highlights those differences between the man, the copious body of work, and the public and hidden histories that all people have. Pierre Assouline has done an incredible job in helping to separate the public and the private. While we always want to know more, to lay the entire life of Georges open for inspection, Pierre has taken a more conservative approach, there are things we can know, but there are also issues that are simply voyeurism and not worth talking about, let alone printing.The book is set in three major divisions, the early years up until 1944 where he was working and developing his craft. The second division in the book is the World War II period where he was accused of collaboration for working on a tightly controlled paper during the war years. And then the final years of his life post 1950 where he continued with personal growth and the explosion of Tintin related materials that cemented his Herge persona and reconciliation with family, friends, and his work under German occupation during the war years. This is where the book gets interesting; the stark contrasts between the personality of Herge and Georges Remi stand out throughout this book daring the reader to draw conclusions between the public and the private. As a public person Herge/Remi had every reason to control that image, as a private person we know almost nothing, but Remi does come off as somewhat of a control freak as discussed in his later 1970's interviews.Overall, this is a fantastic view of the man Georges Remi and the complex personality that he had. This is not a book about Tintin; rather this is a book about the creator of one of the coolest comic series written. People who are fascinated by people and the complexity of people will love this book. People who are looking for another Tintin comic might be interested in this one. I am very happy I got this book, and it is well worth reading. Rated 5 of 5 stars - I hope there is another book that explores more of Herge in depth.

If you are a real fan of TinTin afficionado style, you MUST read this book. Pierre Assouline really catches the whole Hergé. You will enjoy reading TinTin even more with the knowledge Assouline has given you with this book.

This book is perfect for any one who is a fan of Tintin. A good readable book which gives a lot of insight into the man who created Tintin, highly recommend this book.

A super book well investigated and clearly diagnosed, well reccommended

Super fine

As a long time fan of Herge and Tintin I found the book to be a fascinating study of the man and his work and his raison d'etre.