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For immediate releaseCONTROVERSY SPARKS TINTIN REVIVAL AT ABEBOOKS.CO.UK(20 November 2007) When David Enright filed a complaint with the Commission for Racial Equality over the violent, racist and colonialist messages found in Tintin and the Congo, the controversy sparked a revival of Herge’s comic books at AbeBooks.co.uk – the Internet’s largest marketplace for new, secondhand, and out of print books. The 77-year-old book is the bestselling Tintin title on AbeBooks.co.uk so far this year - even though this summer’s controversy highlighted the book’s racist content. Nostalgia and historical curiosity are the most probable reasons for the interest in an old-fashioned hero forgotten by many. With a stage play opening on 6 December in London’s West End and Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson planning a Tintin movie trilogy, AbeBooks.co.uk expects continued global interest in the young Belgian adventurer. Ten bestselling Tintin Books on AbeBooks.co.uk in 2007
Of the 24 Tintin titles, three (Cigars of the Pharaoh, Tintin in America and Tintin in the Land of the Soviets) depict similar negative racial stereotyping as found in Tintin in the Congo. All three are also among the top 10 bestsellers. Not all of Herge’s books contain dated themes on race. The Blue Lotus marked Herge’s turning point from broad stereotyping to the meticulous cultural accuracy - a trait that he eventually became known for. Herge met a Chinese art student, Zhang Chongren, who convinced him to change his writing style. The most expensive Tintin book ever sold by AbeBooks.co.uk was a 1963 hardcover French edition of The Castafiore Emerald that sold for £795 - it was signed and inscribed by Herge with a sketch of Tintin and Snowy. The forthcoming West End adaptation is based on Herge’s Himalayan adventure - Tintin in Tibet. This title was heavily influenced by the author’s nervous breakdown in which he had "all white" nightmares that are reflected in the snowy landscapes of Tibet. - ends - About AbeBooks.com Contact: |
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