Asterix [PDF Library]
1
SUN 30 OCTOBER 25, 2009. SUNDAY MiD DAY www.mid-day.com BOOK ANNIVERSARY GUIDE ASTERIX TRIVIA Uderzo, the illustrator, has been working on the comics alone since Goscinny’s death in 1977. However, all Asterix books that have appeared so far carry both names “as a mark of respect” from Uderzo. Asterix and Obelix appeared on the cover of Time Magazine for a special edition on ‘The New France’ in 1991. One of the most popular books in the series, ‘Asterix and Cleopatra’ has two movie versions — in cartoon form in 1968 and with actors in 2002 (‘Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra’). There is a theme park near Paris based on this series — Parc Astérix — which is said to be as popular as neighbouring Disneyland. Idon’t know what reading Asterix as a child did for you, but it gave me a warped understanding of history. For the longest time, what I knew of world history and geography was what I read in Asterix comics. Oh, I did learn stuff at school, but I was never convinced they knew what they were talking about. The Asterix version came into my life earlier, and it was a lot more fun. So I knew that good old Julius and Cleopatra were an item (and nary a mention of Mark Antony). I knew the secret behind the broken nose of the Sphinx: it chipped while Obelix clambered up (‘Asterix and Cleopatra’), didn’t it? And the mystery of Stonehenge? Why, isn’t that the collection of menhirs that Unhygienix, the fishmonger (‘Asterix in Spain’) used to beautify his empty land in Salisbury Plain? Reading the comics again as an adult, I admired and chuckled over the clever way these startling revelations appear in the books as casual throw-away lines. I never could, and still cannot, view Julius Caesar with anything approaching respect, say what you will about his great conquests. And I have nothing but devotion for Cleopatra, even with her scheming and murdering her way to the throne. All that stays with me is the image of her nose, pretty enough to floor the venerable druid Getafix himself. The Asterix chronicles On October 29, 1959, Asterix and his inseparable friend Obelix first appeared in the pages of the magazine Pilote in France. Fifty years on, Asterix continues to kick (occupying Roman) a** with the same panache he exhibited in his first adventure as Asterix, the Gaul. I think part of what makes the characters so lovable is that they never take anything seriously. Unlike Tintin (the rivalry between Asterix and Tintin fans is legendary; Vikram Seth, in his novel in verse ‘The Golden Gate’, clearly gives a thumbs up for the latter, to my eternal disappointment), Asterix does not rush off to the save the world from wily, power-hungry villains. He is happy hunting boar with his friend Obelix and chipping in (with the help of the druid’s magic potion) to save his village, or friends in trouble when required. And although Obelix does say sadly (‘Asterix and the Roman Agent’) “no-one ever explains anything to me — they just keep me around because I’m ornamental”, he is usually happy to follow Asterix in his adventures without a question. The cover of the eagerly anticipated golden anniversary Asterix book captures this spirit; it shows Asterix and Obelix in splits, pointing to their golden statues. Somewhat like their creators, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, who caricatured and made fun of the best of them. From Sean Connery as Agent Dubbelosix in ‘Asterix and The Black Gold’ (can you ever take James Bond seriously after this, Martinis and mean machines notwithstanding?) to The Rolling Menhirs and Elvis Preslix in ‘Asterix and the Normans’ (the more famous contemporaries of our Bard Cacofonix) and Benito Mussolini as the short and screaming Centurion Nebulus Nimbus in ‘Asterix and the Big Fight’, the duo was merciless. All in good fun, though. Even the Brits found it impossible to take offence. Given the history of antagonism between the French and the English, the authors tendered an advance apology when ‘Asterix in Britain’ was first published, “As usual, we caricature what we are fond of, and we are fond of the British, in spite of their strange way of putting Nelson on top of their columns instead of Napoleon.” And surely enough, the title sold more copies in Britain than any other! It was perhaps to demonstrate this fondness that Goscinny and Uderzo modelled Mykingdomforanos, the brave English chieftain who held out against invaders, on Winston Churchill (with red hair and moustache). Crossing the English Channel The 33 Asterix books are available today in over a 100 languages but entry into the English market proved to be a demanding task for the authors. Of this, Antony Kamm, the first English editor of the Asterix comics writes that two British publishers including Methuen, who published Tintin, had turned it down fearing that humour based on puns would not translate well. The article (sourced here from the website ‘Asterix NZ’) titled “Whatever Happened to Litle Oleg: Brockhampton Press in the Sixties” also mentions that the Times Literary Supplement covered Asterix in the front page in its children’s books issue sometime in the early 1970s, immediately spiking its popularity. However, frivolous children’s comics these are not. The level of humour in the Asterix comics is sophisticated and ingenious. If as a child, I fell in love with the striking visuals and funny characters with their strange costumes and activities, as an adult, I grew to appreciate the wordplay in Asterix. Starting from the first tentative ‘Asterix in Gaul’, each of the books contains several layers of meaning; true Asterix devotees will agree that new puns emerge with each repeat reading. Anthea Bell, one of the translators mentions in the piece ‘Asterix, my love’ that lateral thinking was required to ensure that the humour did not get lost in translation. The clever French names have accordingly been translated to convey the humour in English; Obelix’s dog Idéfix (of a fixed idea) is Dogmatix (having a dogma, also indicating dog) in English. For this reason, the Hindi rendition, ‘Kutta Bhounkix’ does not pack quite the same punch (nor does ‘Hakim Vaidix’ for the veteran druid Getafix!). In an interview on the BBC website, Uderzo doubtfully attributes the popularity of the Asterix comics to “the revenge of the small against the strong, which the audience can relate to.” While this could be true of any superhero comic, what works for Asterix is that the wit is topical yet timeless. For instance, in ‘Obelix and Co.’, a biting satire on capitalism, Caius Preposterus (a graduate of the LSE — Latin School of Economics) is employed to turn an utterly useless product (menhirs) into a coveted object of desire; a role that all contemporary marketing professionals will empathise with. And then those names! My personal favourites are — Centurion Chrismusbonus (the first Asterix villian — in ‘Asterix the Gaul’), Squareonthehypotenuse (the crooked architect in ‘The Mansions of the Gods’), Vitriolix (code name H2So4 — Caesar’s spy in ‘Asterix and the Black Gold’), Ptenisnet (Egyptian volunteer, translator of hieroglyphics in ‘Asterix the Legionary’), Ekonomikrisis (the Phoenician sailing merchant who appears in several books), Valueaddetax (British druid friend of Getafix — in ‘Asterix and the Goths’) and Centurion Gaius Veriambitius (pushing Legionary Gluteus Maximus — named after the buttock muscle — towards fame and fortune at the Olympic Games). So after 50 years of bashing up the baddies, hunting and roasting boars and travelling around the world, Asterix and Obelix are not tired. Nor are the admirers; look forward to the special anniversary collection ‘Asterix: The Golden Book’. Asterix, Obelix and the indomitable Gauls have entertained us for 50 years now. Charukesi Ramadurai looks back with affection at the Gauls who feared nothing but the sky falling on their heads ASTERIX- TINTIN BATMAN- SUPERMAN KAPIL DEV- GAVASKAR DELHI- MUMBAI T20-ONE DAY APPLE’S MAC-PC NOKIA- OTHERS MAN U- CHELSEA INDIA- PAKISTAN FEDERER- NADAL THE GAULS MUST BE CRAZY GREAT RIVALRIES Charukesi lives in Bangalore and writes, photographs, blogs, faces the book, tweets, travels and occasionally, very reluctantly, works as a market research consultant. PIC/AFP Uderzo with his creations, Asterix and Obelix
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Transcript of Asterix [PDF Library]
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SUN
30OCTOBER 25, 2009. SUNDAY MiD DAYwww.mid-day.com
BOOKANNIVERSARY
GUIDE
ASTERIX TRIVIA
Uderzo, the illustrator, has been working on the comics alonesince Goscinny’s death in 1977. However, all Asterix booksthat have appeared so far carry both names “as a mark ofrespect” from Uderzo.
Asterix and Obelix appeared on the cover of Time Magazinefor a special edition on ‘The New France’ in 1991.
One of the most popular books in the series, ‘Asterix and Cleopatra’has two movie versions — in cartoon form in 1968 and with actorsin 2002 (‘Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra’).
There is a theme park near Paris based on this series — ParcAstérix — which is said to be as popular as neighbouringDisneyland.
Idon’t know what reading Asterix as achild did for you, but it gave me a warpedunderstanding of history. For the longesttime, what I knew of world history andgeography was what I read in Asterixcomics. Oh, I did learn stuff at school, but Iwas never convinced they knew what theywere talking about. The Asterix versioncame into my life earlier, and it was a lotmore fun. So I knew that good old Juliusand Cleopatra were an item (and nary amention of Mark Antony). I knew the secretbehind the broken nose of the Sphinx: itchipped while Obelix clambered up(‘Asterix and Cleopatra’), didn’t it? And themystery of Stonehenge? Why, isn’t that thecollection of menhirs that Unhygienix, thefishmonger (‘Asterix in Spain’) used tobeautify his empty land in Salisbury Plain?
Reading the comics again as an adult, Iadmired and chuckled over the clever waythese startling revelations appear in thebooks as casual throw-away lines. I nevercould, and still cannot, view Julius Caesarwith anything approaching respect, saywhat you will about his great conquests.And I have nothing but devotion forCleopatra, even with her scheming andmurdering her way to the throne. All thatstays with me is the image of her nose,pretty enough to floor the venerable druidGetafix himself.
The AsterixchroniclesOn October 29, 1959, Asterix and hisinseparable friend Obelix first appeared inthe pages of the magazine Pilote in France.Fifty years on, Asterix continues to kick(occupying Roman) a** with the samepanache he exhibited in his first adventureas Asterix, the Gaul. I think part of whatmakes the characters so lovable is that theynever take anything seriously.
Unlike Tintin (the rivalry betweenAsterix and Tintin fans is legendary;Vikram Seth, in his novel in verse ‘TheGolden Gate’, clearly gives a thumbs up forthe latter, to my eternal disappointment),Asterix does not rush off to the save theworld from wily, power-hungry villains. Heis happy hunting boar with his friendObelix and chipping in (with the help ofthe druid’s magic potion) to save hisvillage, or friends in trouble when required.And although Obelix does say sadly(‘Asterix and the Roman Agent’) “no-oneever explains anything to me — they justkeep me around because I’m ornamental”,he is usually happy to follow Asterix in hisadventures without a question.
The cover of the eagerly anticipatedgolden anniversary Asterix book capturesthis spirit; it shows Asterix and Obelix insplits, pointing to their golden statues.Somewhat like their creators, RenéGoscinny and Albert Uderzo, whocaricatured and made fun of the best ofthem. From Sean Connery as AgentDubbelosix in ‘Asterix and The Black Gold’(can you ever take James Bond seriouslyafter this, Martinis and mean machinesnotwithstanding?) to The Rolling Menhirsand Elvis Preslix in ‘Asterix and theNormans’ (the more famouscontemporaries of our Bard Cacofonix) andBenito Mussolini as the short andscreaming Centurion Nebulus Nimbus in‘Asterix and the Big Fight’, the duo wasmerciless.
All in good fun, though. Even the Britsfound it impossible to take offence. Giventhe history of antagonism between theFrench and the English, the authorstendered an advance apology when ‘Asterixin Britain’ was first published, “As usual, wecaricature what we are fond of, and we arefond of the British, in spite of their strangeway of putting Nelson on top of theircolumns instead of Napoleon.” And surelyenough, the title sold more copies in Britainthan any other! It was perhaps to
demonstrate this fondness that Goscinnyand Uderzo modelled Mykingdomforanos,the brave English chieftain who held outagainst invaders, on Winston Churchill(with red hair and moustache).
Crossing theEnglish ChannelThe 33 Asterix books are available today inover a 100 languages but entry into theEnglish market proved to be a demandingtask for the authors. Of this, Antony Kamm,the first English editor of the Asterix comicswrites that two British publishers includingMethuen, who published Tintin, had turnedit down fearing that humour based on punswould not translate well. The article(sourced here from the website ‘AsterixNZ’) titled “Whatever Happened to LitleOleg: Brockhampton Press in the Sixties”also mentions that the Times LiterarySupplement covered Asterix in the frontpage in its children’s books issue sometimein the early 1970s, immediately spiking itspopularity.
However, frivolous children’s comicsthese are not. The level of humour in theAsterix comics is sophisticated andingenious. If as a child, I fell in love withthe striking visuals and funny characterswith their strange costumes and activities,
as an adult, I grew to appreciate thewordplay in Asterix. Starting from the firsttentative ‘Asterix in Gaul’, each of the bookscontains several layers of meaning; trueAsterix devotees will agree that new punsemerge with each repeat reading.
Anthea Bell, one of the translatorsmentions in the piece ‘Asterix, my love’ thatlateral thinking was required to ensure thatthe humour did not get lost in translation.The clever French names have accordinglybeen translated to convey the humour inEnglish; Obelix’s dog Idéfix (of a fixedidea) is Dogmatix (having a dogma, alsoindicating dog) in English. For this reason,the Hindi rendition, ‘Kutta Bhounkix’ doesnot pack quite the same punch (nor does‘Hakim Vaidix’ for the veteran druidGetafix!).
In an interview on the BBC website,Uderzo doubtfully attributes the popularityof the Asterix comics to “the revenge of thesmall against the strong, which theaudience can relate to.” While this could betrue of any superhero comic, what worksfor Asterix is that the wit is topical yettimeless. For instance, in ‘Obelix and Co.’, abiting satire on capitalism, CaiusPreposterus (a graduate of the LSE — LatinSchool of Economics) is employed to turnan utterly useless product (menhirs) into acoveted object of desire; a role that allcontemporary marketing professionals willempathise with.
And then those names! My personalfavourites are — Centurion Chrismusbonus(the first Asterix villian — in ‘Asterix theGaul’), Squareonthehypotenuse (thecrooked architect in ‘The Mansions of theGods’), Vitriolix (code name H2So4 —Caesar’s spy in ‘Asterix and the Black Gold’),Ptenisnet (Egyptian volunteer, translator ofhieroglyphics in ‘Asterix the Legionary’),Ekonomikrisis (the Phoenician sailingmerchant who appears in several books),Valueaddetax (British druid friend ofGetafix — in ‘Asterix and the Goths’) andCenturion Gaius Veriambitius (pushingLegionary Gluteus Maximus — named afterthe buttock muscle — towards fame andfortune at the Olympic Games).
So after 50 years of bashing up thebaddies, hunting and roasting boars andtravelling around the world, Asterix andObelix are not tired. Nor are the admirers;look forward to the special anniversarycollection ‘Asterix: The Golden Book’.
Asterix, Obelix and the indomitable Gauls have entertained us for 50 years now. Charukesi Ramadurailooks back with affection at the Gauls who feared nothing but the sky falling on their heads
ASTERIX-TINTIN
BATMAN-SUPERMAN
KAPIL DEV-GAVASKAR
DELHI-MUMBAI
T20-ONEDAY
APPLE’SMAC-PC
NOKIA-OTHERS
MAN U-CHELSEA
INDIA-PAKISTAN
FEDERER-NADAL
THE GAULS MUST BE CRAZY
GREATRIVALRIES
Charukesi lives in Bangalore and writes,photographs, blogs, faces the book,tweets, travels and occasionally, veryreluctantly, works as a market researchconsultant.
PIC/AFP
Uderzo with his creations, Asterix and Obelix
