Tintin Forums

Does anyone else have Philippe Goddin's Hergé et les Bigotudos - le roman d'une aventure?
It's about the development of Tintin and the Picaros. Very interesting read (it's in French, of course). You can easily get it on Amazon.

If any of you have read it, what did you think of it?

P.S. Does Bigotudos simply mean «Bigotudos» in English?

I don't think "bigotudos" means anything in English, but according to Harry Thompson's book, it means moustaches (in Spanish, presumably). I read somewhere else that Hergé had heard that Castro and/or Che Guevara and his men had refused to shave or trim their beards until their revolution in Cuba was succesful, and that Hergé was planning to have Alcazar and his men make a similar vow regarding not shaving their moustaches - hence the Bigotudos name.
But Harry Thompson says that Hergé then dropped the moustache idea to avoid confusion with the moustache motif of the Bordurian regime (who were of course backing Tapioca's side) and renamed the guerillas the Picaros. I don't know what Picaros means, in Spanish or anything else.

That's all I know, I'm afraid.

The book you flag up sounds interesting, Borschtisov, but I've not seen it. I wish more of these books about Hergé and his work were translated into English, or that I'd paid more attention in French classes at school!

Picaros is derived from piccare in Latin, that is similar to Pique - «A state of vexation caused by a perceived slight or indignity; a feeling of wounded pride.»

a feeling of wounded pride."
ouch! The poor guys!

I think it's a very interesting book. It shows how Tintin and the Picaros evolved via numerous versions and re-makes over the years, starting already in 1963.

Actually, Hergé et les Bigotudos shows the development not only of Picaros but also Flight 714 - the hi-jacked plane originally was on route to (or, in some versions, sometimes from), San Theodoros until Hergé moved the setting from the West Indies to the East Indies and created a completely separate story.
There are also premonitions of Alph-art in Bigotudos, for example the mentioning of an avant-garde artist named Ado Kramika and also the name-dropping of a certain N. Dadine Hakasz from Turkey.

All in all, it's recommended reading for any Tintinologist.

Bigotudos means "The ones with moustaches" specially big moustaches (Spanish is mother tounge)

It seems this book hasn't been translated into English, and may never be. I'm thinking of buying the French original and then trying to translate it into English. Could be difficult and interesting, since I don't know any French. But there's always the hugely imperfect Babelfish translator or a French/English dictionary.
Does anyone know where I can buy this book for a good price? I live in Australia. Second-hand copies are acceptable (in very good condition). Thanks!

By the way, is it hardcover or a paperback?

That's a good idea: even if you have trouble with passages of analysis in the text, Goddin quite often cites long extracts of early storyboard dialogues (which should be manageable) and there are plenty of (black-and-white) illustrations.
There is no hardback edition: it is a sturdy book with sewn gatherings and semi-glossy thick card cover.

Ah, thanks Luinivierge. I was wondering what that was all about. Do you know of any online shops I could find the book for a good price?

The first two copies in this list seem to be well-priced. What are your thoughts?
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Also, would you be able to tell me the description of the books in the link above? What condition are they in? Thanks! I really appreciate all your help.

Weird. This copy looks like it's a Hardcover!?
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Picaro is Spanish for "rogue" or "rascal", so I think that there may be a more obvious meaning, although the pun could be intended.

In English, picaresque is used in literature studies "relating to an episodic style of fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero", which is in the same vein.

As a pointer, if you are searching French sites and don't speak French, the bit where it says broché, next to the title, is telling you that it is a paperback.