Tintin Forums

For the first half of the series we see Tintin (and the Captain for that matter) living in a regular apartment with a landlady, etc. After the Captain gets Marlinspike, Tintin visits him and stays for the day there (dropped of home later). But, later in the books the story begins at Marlinspike with Tintin already there, and several times (like in Alph-Art sketches) Tintin apparently gets up in the morning from his own room at Marlinspike.

Has this been mentioned in the books? Does Tintin move into Marlinspike or is it just by coincidence that the adventures in those books happen to come when Tintin is staying with his friends (in a guest room?)

Other threads have covered this, but considering the evidence (his mail is care of the Captain, they both go there with their suitcases in Destination Moon, Nestor takes to calling him Master Tintin rather than sir... plus many more things) we can more or less assume that he lives there permanently after Land of Black Gold. No reason why not; there's plenty of room, and I expect Mrs Bird is relieved not to have people attacked outside the lodgings or have bombs coming in through the windows every few days.

Well, the letter Tintin received from Chang in Tintin in Tibet was forwarded from Labrador Road to Marlinspike (and finally to the hotel that Tintin was staying at), so I think it's safe to assume that he was living at Marlinspike at that point.

[Edit : Oh, I see we cross posted, Karaboudjan ! ;o)]

Well, for all good purposes, Tintin lives at Marlinspike, even with these two scenarios:

1. He has two legal domiciles (I know someone who has three; I actually have two), one in Marlinspike, the other at 26 Labrador Rd. In some ways he lives in both places even if he isn't usually in one of them...

2. Tintin no longer lives at 26 Labrador Rd., but most people are slow to record the change (reminds one faintly of the Cutts the Butcher messes!)...

2. Tintin no longer lives at 26 Labrador Rd., but most people are slow to record the change (reminds one faintly of the Cutts the Butcher messes!)...

The letter from Chang may have been sent to Labrador Road because Tintin and Chang may have lost touch with each other over the intervening years (just as Hergé did with the real Chang Chon-Chen). Knowing he was visiting Europe and perhaps desiring to resume contact with Tintin, Chang wrote to the last address he had for his friend (Labrador Road) where it was forwarded to Marlinspike by Mrs Bird.

It's not entirely clear at what point Tintin moves in (Labrador Rd is last seen in Land of Black Gold and the Moon adventures seem to follow on directly from that making Calculus Affair the first time we see Tintin resident in Marlinspike) though in The Red Sea Sharks Tintin says to Haddock; "We'd better be getting home to Marlinspike" (page 4) so he definitely seems to be resident there from that point on.

to me it seems as if Marlinspike is a home away from home for him as compared to Haddock's actual home.

it just seems like that to me because of the Labrador road references

Although it's worth wondering whether they mean Marlinspike Hall (the actual house) or Marlinspike the place...

I thought he finally moved into Marlinspike, after they found Red Rackham's treasure? I havent read it for AGES so i am not sure..

No, because in the next book, Tintin reaches Marlinspike by train and Calculus asks if he'll be staying long.

No, because in the next book, Tintin reaches Marlinspike by train and Calculus asks if he'll be staying long.

That's true - Seven Crystal Balls begins and ends with Tintin making his way to Marlinspike (some interesting stuff on page 119 of the Complete Companion - the second journey was possibly symbolic of Hergé getting back to Tintin and the abandoned storyline after his enforced post-war break.) At that time I'd say he's more a fairly regular houseguest as opposed to a permanant, or even semi permanant resident.

I'd like to think that he moves in some time after Explorers On The Moon. After all, following that story, Tintin, as the first man on the Moon, is internationally famous everywhere from Borduria to Australia, so it might have been a bit awkward trying to live in a modest city centre flat.

Just think of all those other reporters, TV crews etc who were probably hammering on his door at all hours - He must have been grateful to be able to get away to the relative seclusion of Marlinspike!