Book chain pulls Tintin from children's sections

Thu Jul 12, 5:22 AM ET

A British chain of bookstores, Borders, said Wednesday it had yanked copies of a Tintin book from its children's sections after a race watchdog complained it was racist -- but would continue to sell it on adults' shelves.

The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) said it "beggared belief" that Borders should sell "Tintin in the Congo", claiming it contained potentially highly offensive material.

"This book contains imagery and words of hideous racial prejudice, where the 'savage natives' look like monkeys and talk like imbeciles," a spokeswoman said.

"How and why do Borders think that it's okay to peddle such racist material?"

The CRE said it was contacted by a Borders customer last month who saw the book on sale in London.

In response, a spokesman for the US-owned store said: "Naturally, some of the thousands of books and music selections we carry could be considered controversial or objectionable depending on individual political views, tastes and interests.

"However, Borders stands by its commitment to let customers make the choice. "After consideration of this title, we have instructed all stores to move it to the adult graphic novels section."

"Tintin in the Congo", which first appeared in Belgian newspaper Le Vingtieme Siecle as a comic strip in 1930-1931, is part of the series "The Adventures of Tintin" by the Belgian author and illustrator Herge.

But its tale of boy reporter Tintin's trip with his dog Snowy to what was then the Belgian Congo is seen as controversial by some because of its depiction of colonialism and racism, as well as casual violence towards animals.

Herge later justified the book by saying it was merely a reflection of the naive views of the time. Some of the scenes were revised for later editions.

]Anthony Lane, "A Boy’s World," The New Yorker, May 28, 2007, p. 47, May 28, 2007 Issue

A CRITIC AT LARGE about Hergé, creator of the Belgian comic-book hero Tintin. Writer notes that both Hergé (Georges Remi) and Georges Simenon were both born in Belgium about a century ago. Each man would, in his unobtrusive way, conquer the world. Like Simenon, Hergé would create his own investigator. His name was Tintin, and to date some two hundred million copies of his adventures have been sold. There are twenty-three completed Tintin books, ranging from “Tintin in the Land of the Soviets” (1930) to “Tintin and the Picaros” (1976). Each book began in serialized form in the pages of a newspaper. Tintin addicts are a mixed bunch. Last week, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson signed a three-picture deal to bring Tintin to the big screen. Hugh Grant, Timothy Garton Ash and General de Gaulle are among Tintin’s fans. Discusses two critical studies of the Tintin books, “The Metamorphoses of Tintin” by Jean-Maire Apostolides and “Tintin and the Secret of Literature” by Tom McCarthy. There is infinite variety in the settings of the Tintin books, and yet what keeps them intact is the unifying presence of our hero plus that select squadron of characters who recur from book to book. Most important is Captain Haddock. Mentions other characters, including Professor Calculus and Thomson and Thompson. Hergé was a product of the solid Catholic bourgeoisie. Such stimulation as there was in Hergé’s youth came from his exploits as a scout. In 1925, Hergé went to work for Le Vingtième Siecle, a daily newspaper. In 1928, he was deputized to edit the children’s supplement and in 1929, Tintin made his debut in a serial about Soviet Russia. His next port of call was still more provocative: the Congo. Discusses the colonization of the Congo by Belgium and the portrayal of Africans by Hergé. Describes how Hergé’s friendship with a Chinese student, Chang Chong-chen spurred him to conduct thorough research for his next Tintin adventure, which was set in China. From then on, a fanatical attention to detail became the hallmark of Herge’s work. Discusses accusations that Hergé collaborated with the Nazis during the occupation of Belgium. Hergé himself was no villain. But his ability to dig himself into a hole of misconceptions, and to avert his gaze from evil, verges at times on the chronic. Writer notes the complete lack of sex in the Tintin books and briefly compares Tintin to Charlie Brown.