Tintin in Tibet

Tintin in Tibet (originally Tintin au Tibet) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring the young reporter Tintin as the hero.

Tintin in Tibet is the twentieth book in the series. It is said to have been Hergé's favourite out of the Tintin series, and was written during a personally difficult time in his life. The story is unlike any previous Tintin books, before or since ; there are no enemies, a small range of characters, and a serene, almost Buddhist feel, to the book.

Contents

1 Storyline 2 Analysis 3 Changes 4 Trivia 5 References

Storyline

Whilst on holiday in Vargèse with Captain Haddock, Tintin reads about a plane crash in the Gosain Than massif in the Himalayas. That evening at the hotel, Tintin has a vivid dream that his young Chinese friend Chang Chong Chen survived a plane crash. The next morning, he reads in the paper that it was Chang's plane that crashed in Tibet. Believing that his dream was a telepathic vision, Tintin travels to Kathmandu, followed by a skeptical Captain Haddock. They meet with a sherpa named Tharkey, and accompanied by some porters, they head to the crash site.

Following a number of events, they discover footprints in the snow that Tharkey claims belong to the yeti. The porters abandon the group, and Tintin, Haddock and Tharkey go on, taking the porters' loads as well. They reach the crash site, where Tintin finds a teddy bear half-buried in the snow, which he believes belonged to Chang. Tintin sets off with Snowy to try and trace Chang's steps, and find a cave where Chang carved his name on a rock. Following a snowstorm in which Tintin falls down a crevasse, he rejoins Haddock and Tharkey, who had sheltered in the plane.

Tharkey decides not to go on any further, believing Chang to be dead, and Tintin, Snowy and Haddock head after a scarf that Tintin spotted on a cliff face. Haddock loses his grip and hangs perilously over a cliff edge. He wants Tintin to cut the rope to save himself, but Tintin refuses, saying that either they're both saved or they die together. Tharkey, moved by Tintin's selflessness, returns just in time to save them. They pitch their tent in a storm, but it blows away, into the face of the yeti. They head on through the night, and eventually see the monastery of Khor-Biyong. An avalanche occurs, and the three are buried in the snow.

Blessed Lightning, a monk at the monastery, 'sees' Tintin, Snowy, Haddock and Tharkey in the snow, in a vision. Up in the mountains, Tintin regains consciousness and, unable to reach the monastery himself, writes a note and gives it to Snowy to deliver. Snowy lets go of the message when he finds a bone, but then realises what he's done, and runs to the monastery to make someone follow him. The monks head after him.

Captain Haddock awakes to find himself in the monastery. He finds Tintin and Tharkey again. After Tintin tells the Grand Abbot why they are there, the Abbot tells him to abandon his quest and return to his country. Blessed Lightning has another vision, through which Tintin learns Chang is still alive, in a mountain cave, but the "migou", or yeti, is there. Haddock doesn't believe the monk is genuine, but the Abbot explains to him that many things that occur in Tibet seem unbelievable to Westerners. Tintin heads to Charabang, a village near the mountain where Blessed Lightning said Chang was. Haddock initially gives up and refuses to follow Tintin anymore, but eventually arrives in Charabang, and the two of them, and Snowy, head to the Horn of the Yak - the mountain where Chang is said to be - on the final lap.

They wait outside until they see the yeti leave the cave. Tintin heads in with the camera, under orders from the Captain to take a photograph of the yeti if he can. Inside the cave, Tintin finally finds Chang, who is feverish and shaking. Haddock fails to warn Tintin that the yeti returns, and he reaches toward Tintin, who sets off the flash bulb of the camera. The yeti, frightened by the light, runs out of the cave, bowling over the Captain, who has come to save Tintin. Chang is carried out by the two of them, and he tells the story of how he survived, and how the yeti took care of him. Chang calls the yeti "Poor Snowman", and Tintin comments that he didn't call him "abominable". "Of course I don't, Tintin," says Chang, "he took care of me. Without him I'd have died of cold and hunger." They are met by the Grand Abbot and an envoy of monks, who presents Tintin with a silk scarf in honour of the bravery he has shown, and the strength of his friendship to Chang. They are taken back to the monastery, and after a week, when Chang has recovered, they head back to Nepal on horseback. Chang muses on how the yeti is no wild animal, but instead had a human soul.

Analysis

A tale of remarkable purity, with no villain and a minimum of characters, Tintin in Tibet is a unique book in the series. Hergé had developed the format of the strip cartoon to the level of classic literature. The humanity of the characters is more evident than anything yet seen in the Tintin saga. Haddock's proposing to sacrifice himself to save Tintin's life, and that one victim is better than two, is a reflection of Hergé's feelings over the break-up of his first marriage.

The book itself was voted the greatest French-language graphic novel of all time in a poll of professionals, editors and critics. The story is simple yet captivating, and the artwork, superb even for Hergé's standards, has not been equalled since.

The number of emotional moments in the book is surprising, and should be enough to convince even the most vehement critic of the comic strip format of its values as an art form. Tintin's enduring belief in Chang having survived the crash, the discovery of the teddy bear in the snow, Haddock attempting to sacrifice himself to save Tintin, Tharkey's return, the serenity of the lamas, Tintin's discovery of Chang and the yeti having lost his only friend are intensely powerful moments.

The artwork in the book is stunning - Hergé's drawings of the mountain scenes, of the characters and the emotion they convey (Tintin's weeping over Chang's death at the beginning is especially moving), the surreal dream sequence of Captain Haddock on page 16 which echoes Dali, and the revealing of the yeti are all captured perfectly. The intense depth of the scenes set in the snow, whilst using minimal detail, are perfect in every respect.

Changes

The original bookcover was to be entirely white with the three characters (and Snowy) positioned as they are on the current edition. Hergé's publisher, Casterman, suggested that he should add the horizon and mountains in to make the cover more visually interesting.

Hergé originally had Chang write a letter and leave it in the cave for Tintin to later find. However, he changed this to carving his name on a rock, in Chinese and in Western script, presumably to be more convincing. The rock has more of an impact than the note, which could have been considered a little clichéd. The pencil drawing to the right shows Tintin finding the note.

In the original 1960 edition of the book, according to the newspaper article on page 2, the plane that crashed belonged to Indian Airways. A representative of said company came forward following publication of the book, and complained to Hergé about the negative publicity - "It's scandalous ! None of our planes have ever crashed. You have done us a considerable wrong." Hergé agreed to change it to a fictitious Sari-Airways, although the plane on page 58 features the words Indian Airways in all editions.

A sequence from Tintin Magazine where the gas stove explodes, and sets off a box of flares, was ultimately cut. It would have pushed the book over the 62-page limit, and have interrupted the flow of the story. It is reproduced in Benoît Peeters' book, Tintin and the World of Hergé.

Trivia

• The idea to set a story in Tibet was suggested by Jacques Van Melkebeke, one of Hergé's assistants, in 1954
• The yeti being a sympathetic character was alledgedly prompted by Fanny Vlamnyck, a colourist at the Studios Hergé who would later become Hergé's second wife
• Hergé's interest in oriential philosophy is evident in the story - this was an interest also shared by Fanny
• The story is set in 1958, evidenced by the postmark on the envelope on page 3

References

1. Lofficer, Jean-Marc & Randy (2002) The Pocket Essential Tintin - ISBN 190404817X
2. Goddin, Philippe (1987) Hergé and Tintin Reporters: From "Le Petit Vingtième" to "Tintin" Magazine - ISBN 0951279904
3. Peeters, Benoît (1989) Tintin and the World of Hergé - ISBN 0416155227

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