Pierre Assouline – författare

In this book Pierre Assouline reveals the life and art of Tintin's Belgian creator, Georges Prosper Remi, better known as 'Hergé'. Assouline has had privileged access to personal papers to explore Hergé's life and work and the fascinating ways in which the two intertwine. He does not shy away from such controversial matters as Hergé's support for Belgian imperialism in the Congo or his relationship with the Nazis during the occupation of Belgium. Hergé's books sold millions of copies throughout the world, but, as Assouline shows, the impact of his work goes far beyond his enormous popularity with children - his pioneering use of clean line drawing had a profound influence on artists from Warhol to Lichtenstein and he revolutionized the comic book art form.

One of the most beloved characters in all of comics, Tintin won an enormous international following. Translated into dozens of languages, Tintin''s adventures have sold millions of copies, and Steven Spielberg is presently adapting the stories for the big screen. Yet, despite Tintin''s enduring popularity, Americans know almost nothing about his gifted creator, Georges Remi--better known as Herg?. Offering a captivating portrait of a man who revolutionized the art of comics, this is the first full biography of Herg? available for an English-speaking audience. Born in Brussels in 1907, Herg? began his career as a cub reporter, a profession he gave to his teenaged, world-traveling hero. But whereas Tintin was "fully formed, clear-headed, and positive," Assouline notes, his inventor was "complex, contradictory, inscrutable." For all his huge success--achieved with almost no formal training--Herg? would say unassumingly of his art, "I was just happy drawing little guys, that''s all." Granted unprecedented access to thousands of the cartoonist''s unpublished letters, Assouline gets behind the genial public mask to take full measure of Herg?''s life and art and the fascinating ways in which the two intertwine. Neither sugarcoating nor sensationalizing his subject, he meticulously probes such controversial issues as Herg?''s support for Belgian imperialism in the Congo and his alleged collaboration with the Nazis. He also analyzes the underpinnings of Tintin--how the conception of the character as an asexual adventurer reflected Herg?''s appreciation for the Boy Scouts organization as well as his Catholic mentor''s anti-Soviet ideology--and relates the comic strip to Herg?''s own place within the Belgian middle class. A profound influence on a generation of artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, the elusive figure of Herg? comes to life in this illuminating biography--a deeply nuanced account that unveils the man and his career as never before.

One of the most beloved characters in all of comics, Tintin won an enormous international following. Translated into dozens of languages, Tintin's adventures have sold millions of copies. Yet, despite Tintin's enduring popularity, Americans know almost nothing about his gifted creator, Georges Remi--better known as Hergé.Timed to coincide with Steven Spielberg's long-awaited film The Adventures of Tin Tin: Secret of the Unicorn, here is the first full biography of Hergé available for an English-speaking audience, offering a captivating portrait of a man who revolutionized the art of comics. Granted unprecedented access to thousands of the cartoonist's unpublished letters, Assouline gets behind the genial public mask to take full measure of Hergé's life and art and the fascinating ways in which the two intertwine. Neither sugarcoating nor sensationalizing his subject, he weighs such controversial issues as Hergé's support for Belgian imperialism in the Congo and his alleged collaboration with the Nazis. He also analyzes the underpinnings of Tintin--how the conception of the character as an asexual adventurer reflected Hergé's love for the Boy Scouts as well as his Catholic mentor's anti-Soviet ideology--and relates the comic strip to Hergé's own place within the Belgian middle class. For all his huge success--achieved with almost no formal training--Hergé would say unassumingly of his art, "I was just happy drawing little guys, that's all." A profound influence on a generation of artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, the elusive figure of Hergé comes to life in this illuminating biography--a deeply nuanced account that unveils the man and his career as never before. "Highlights yet again that all-too-common divide between the flawed private man and the admirable creative genius.... Those fascinated by the strange lives of creative geniuses may want to read Assouline's fine, if somewhat disillusioning, biography."--Michael Dirda, Washington Post"Will inform and edify America's Tintin devotees."--San Francisco Chronicle

The definitive biography of the greatest photographer of modern times - a vital addition to the library of everyone with an interest in photography. Henri Cartier-Bresson was the eye of the 20th century. His lens chronicled the decisive moments of his time – from Chinese communist victories to the Spanish Civil War and the Liberation of Paris. A co-founder of Magnum Photos, Cartier-Bresson produced unparalleled portraits of his contemporaries, capturing the spirit of Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre and William Faulkner. Cartier-Bresson took Pierre Assouline into his confidence over a number of years, detailing his youthful devotion to surrealism, lifelong passion for drawing, and experiences of war and prison camps. This sensitive biography emerges from a meeting of two minds, revealed with the same truth as one of Cartier Bresson’s photographs.