The Real Hergé: The Inspiration Behind Tintin

Lye, Sian. The Real Hergé: The Inspiration Behind Tintin. 2020. 216p. ISBN 9781526763907.

Tintin is known worldwide. A young reporter always accompanied by his dog Snowy, Tintin engages in many adventures over the course of 24 comic books. But less is known about Hergé, the man who created Tintin and crafted wonderful stories avidly read in more than 70 languages.

Born George Rémi in Belgium in 1907, Hergé was heavily influenced by the Boy Scouts and the First World War, which started when he was seven. Hergé joined a a conservative Catholic newspaper called Le Vingtième Siècle, where he began working on a serialized comic called the Adventures of Tintin. Though a popular art form in the United States, cartoons with speech bubbles were not well known in Europe, and Hergé was one of the firsts to use that style of graphic story telling.

The series proved to be popular, and soon were released in book forms. As Hergé's skills improved, he focused more on longer scenarios, and he created authentic drawings that increased Tintin's popularity even further. Hergé met several people who influenced his art and stories along the way, but the German occupation of Belgium in the Second World War almost derailed his career, as he was accused of being a collaborationist following the end of the war and the defeat of Germany. 

Creating the Hergé Studio to support his work, Hergé continued to experience success with Tintin while suffering from depression and exhaustion, and also living through a complicated marital situation that eventually saw him divorce his wife for a younger woman.

Though only 24 comic books were published, Tintin's impact on the world remains, and Hergé's name continues to appear alongside his beloved character.