Hergé: The Adventures of Tintin. The Castafiore Emerald

One fine spring day, Tintin, who is staying with Captain Haddock, receives a letter from Bianca Castafiore. The opera diva writes that she is tired of the hustle and bustle and has decided to take a little break… And not just anywhere, but at Marlinspike Hall! Haddock is horrified: he is ready to flee his own home just to avoid meeting "this walking cyclone." But then fate intervenes, and the captain finds himself confined to a wheelchair for two weeks. Gritting his teeth, he is forced to endure the boisterous guest, her entourage, and the ubiquitous journalists who scurry around the manor in search of cheap sensations. And the sensations are not long in coming: first, an article appears in the press about the engagement of the "Milanese Nightingale" and "retired Admiral Haddock," and then a theft occurs in the house—a priceless emerald, gifted to Castafiore by the Maharajah of Gopal, goes missing…

The twenty-first volume of "The Adventures of Tintin" began serialization in *Tintin* magazine in July 1961 and concluded in September 1962; the album version was published in 1963. For the first time, Hergé's story remains almost entirely within the grounds of Marlinspike Hall and its surroundings, replacing the adventure narrative constant in the previous 20 albums with a plot traditional to classic detective stories: a "locked-room mystery." Tintin scholars are unanimous: among other things, this bears witness to the author's serious physical and psychological exhaustion (which Hergé himself confirmed in an interview) and his desire for "peace and quiet," the main advocate of which in the book is Captain Haddock. But, as they say, if the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain – which is exactly what happened to the unfortunate captain, who instead of the longed-for "peace and quiet," received – literally delivered to his door! – a "walking cyclone" in the form of Bianca Castafiore and her entourage, consisting of a dresser, an accompanist, and… a parrot!
Hergé packed the plot with red herrings, which are picked up not only by Tintin, who has once again taken on the role of Sherlock Holmes, but also by the reader. Although, as befits any self-respecting mystery author, Hergé gives the attentive reader a key clue almost immediately.

Author: Hergé 

Translator: Mikhail Khachaturov

Pages: 64 (offset). Hardcover

Dimensions: 290×217 mm