5 Questions for... Michael Farr

You already have several books on Tintin to your credit, but this is the first "A-Z reference book" you've published? Has this format/publishing concept enabled you to see Hergé's work in a new light?

The format was ideal for including unusual or even unknown aspects of Tintin which I have picked up over years of research and did not fit into my earlier books on Tintin/Hergé. Most of the insights stem from trawling through Hergé’s papers and archive during the 1990s, conversations with his friends and, above all, from my meeting him in 1978.

And did you make any new discoveries by re-reading the albums... from A to Z?

Such is the quality of the Adventures of Tintin that every reading casts new light on them. I have been reading and delighting in them for nearly 68 years!

How did you go about choosing the entries you refer to in this book? Did you want to share your "favourites" or, on the contrary, focus on more "unexpected" things?

Always, but also by relating Hergé’s extensive documentation to them, tracing the source material that nourished his ideas. His interests were extraordinarily wide and his perception acute. This inevitably was a very subjective and personal process. I chose subjects that particularly delighted me – such as Hergé’s fascination with parrots and professors – and those that might be unexpected or even unknown.

Which of the words or themes you cover do you prefer most? Why or why not?

I think my favourite entry is K for Kiss. Who would associate the Adventures of Tintin with kissing? Then there is Hergé’s interest in fakirs, and Tintin’s absorption in yoga.

To conclude this interview, could you tell us what, in your opinion, makes Tintin so successful today?

Tintin’s huge success and enduring popularity is due to the realism of the story and its relevance to everyday life – all the quirks, irritations and coincidences that we experience daily. Furthermore, his rather blank appearance, compared with his fellow characters, allows every boy and girl, whatever their race, to jump into his shoes and re-enact the excitement and humour of his adventures. It is a winning formula. Finally, there can be no doubt that The Adventures of Tintinare brilliantly drawn, while the narrative is carefully constructed and compellingly written.