Year: 1957

Important Characters: Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, Chang

French Title: Tintin au Tibet

Tintin in Tibet was written during a time of deep personal crisis for Hergé. His recurring nightmares forced him to see a psychoanalyst, who told him that he would never complete his book. He did complete it, however, but with great difficulty, and the book thus represents an exorcism for its author. This gives it a special quality, making it much more serious than the other books.

In this book Tintin is virtually alone. There is no evil either, the Yeti proving to have a warm heart at the end. The small number of protagonists and the simplicity of the plot are notable in a story where we see Tintin at his most human as he sets out in search of his lost friend. His sole companion is Captain Haddock, who contributes vital humour to a story that would otherwise be drowned in sentimentality.

In this deeply personal book, we can appreciate Hergé's need for space at the time he was writing it. The frames gradually become devoid of unnecessary objects until there is nothing except the characters and whiteness. We also see the author indulging in his fascination with the East and his interest in the paranormal. From this point of view, the beginning is compelling: the sound CHANG erupts on various occasions for very different reasons, as if destiny itself was playing a hand.

Despite the almost hallucinatory side of the story, Hergé did not give up his concern for precision. He accumulated a lot of material on the Yeti, much of it given to him by Bernard Heuvelmans, with whom he collaborated on the Moon adventure. However, the author's desire for realism led to difficulties. A representative of Indian Airways complained about the scene involving an airplane crash, so Hergé changed the airline's name to Sari Airways, but he suggested that, given the number of different airlines in India, there could well be a Sari Airlines as well.