Which people are mocked the most in “Asterix”? The Germans, by Toutatis!
To mark the release of “Asterix in Lusitania” on October 23, “Die Welt” revisits the adventures of the little Gaul, peppered with “clichés that are sometimes crude, but often tinged with a grain of truth.” The Berlin daily newspaper is quick to point out that the German people are the least spared “by the authors’ acerbic pen.”
They are among humanity's first globetrotters. In each of the 41 albums of their adventures, Asterix and Obelix set off on foot, by boat, on horseback, or by chariot to discover cities all over the world – Alexandria, Jerusalem, Lutetia. They sometimes cross the Atlantic or the Mediterranean, sometimes as tourists in their own country, sometimes as pioneers of long-distance travel, capable of reaching India on a flying carpet, with an impeccable carbon footprint.
The Gauls know it well: travel isn't always a walk in the park. Our two heroes have to contend with border formalities and the whims of the weather, and they find themselves stuck in traffic jams during the peak holiday exodus on their way to Spain. In Rome, they encounter tourists, guidebooks in hand, and other, less respectful visitors, carving their names into a monument.
Far from being moralistic, these fundamental issues are addressed with lighthearted touches, and the downsides of tourism are always subtly alluded to. Asterix and Obelix also display an equally admirable openness to the world and curiosity. They take an interest in distant lands and tribes, exotic specialties, and...
Read on and access a unique selection of articles translated from the foreign press.
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