French Psychoanalyst Serge Tisseron Will Discuss Famous European Comic Author Hergé Feb. 4

His book shows that Hergé revealed family secrets throughout the 50-year run of his Adventures of Tintin comic strip

French psychoanalyst, scriptwriter, cartoonist, and author Serge Tisseron will be on campus Thursday, Feb. 4, to discuss his research and book Tintin Chez le Psychanalyste (Tintin at the Psychoanalyst’s).

Using clues from The Adventures of Tintin comic strip, Tisseron will give an illustrated talk at 4:15 p.m. in room 429 of Pardee Hall, unraveling the family secrets revealed by Hergé through his famous comic strip. Hergé, which is the pen name for the late Belgian artist Georges Rémi, published the comic in various European newspapers from 1929-83. One of the most popular European comics of the 20th century, the series has been published in over 50 languages and more than 200 million copies of the books have been sold to date.

The talk will be in French with a bilingual question and answer session. An English translation will be provided. The lecture is sponsored by the foreign languages and literatures department and the Cercle français (French Club).

While working as a hospital psychiatrist in 1985, Tisseron reread the graphic novels of his youth and revealed in his book the secret Hergé story years before it was confirmed in a biography of the author.

Director of research at the University of Paris X-Nanterre, Tisseron is a scriptwriter, cartoonist, and author of more than 20 books. Tisseron studied psychiatry with a specialization in psychoanalysis, and presented his doctoral thesis in the form of a graphic novel. His research explores the impact of cartoons, photography, cinema, and television and internet images on children, serving as a consultant for the French government.

Tisseron’s tour of the United States and Canada is supported by the Délégation générale of the Alliance Française in Washington in partnership with Radio des cinq académies de l’Institut de France (Canal Académie).