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Does anyone think that the character Abdullah could have stemmed from Hergé's alleged intolerance of children? I know he was based on a real kid, but maybe Abdullah's personality could be based on pesky kids, as Castifiore's opera singing stemmed from his hatred of opera and his auntie's singing.
The Tintin in the Dock feature in The Guardian (Life & Style section, Saturday 30th January, 1999) tells us Hergé had (with his wife's persistence) adopted a child in the late forties, but then took him back to the orphanage, as he couldn't believe the distraction it brought to his life.

Wow I need to read Tintin in the Dock!
Pretty heartless to adopt a kid then return them to the orphinage.

I doubt he was based on one individual child that Hergé knew well, but probably from what he observed of children in general.
Being Hergé probably meant he was bothered by children far more than most people.
You can see Abdullahs anywhere on a bus or in the street, normally it's the parents' faults, as I think Hergé tried to show with the attitude of his father.

Rik

Check it out, there's a thread on Tintin in the Dock here!

There's a photo of a kid in Tintin: The Complete Companion, who Hergé based the character on, looks-wise.
Tintin in the Dock talks about Hergé being hounded by child fans, and this could have been why he had no time for them, which is pretty understandable.
But then again maybe a little harsh, seeing as they were the people making Tintin popular.

Tim Judah points out in the Tintin in the Dock article that the adoption claim (which originates from Pierre Assouline's book) is disputed, so I wouldn't take it as gospel.

I'd like to think that Abdullah's character was influenced by Hergé's own Maharajah of Gopal (from The Valley of the Cobras), another great spoiled brat.

If one looks at the Tintin books, though, the picture is way more complex.
When Quick and Flupke make an appearance in The Seven Crystal Balls, it's with that naughty "brick-in-the-hat" trick.
On the flip side of the coin, though, the two boys give Tintin and Haddock information about where they found that hat, and that provides a lead to (eventually) finding Calculus.
Also note that Zorrino and Chang are essentially children. There must be something else that influenced Hergé's depiction of Abdullah, and it might not be children collectively...

Perhaps he saw those singing children in Tintin and the Lake of Sharks, and hated them for ever more...!

It may also go back to his own childhood. It seems to have been very rigid, so he maade Abdullah the exact opposite - causing pandemonium, indulged by his father, etc.

Rik

Can you blame everyone for being intolerant towards Abdullah, though?

Everyone comes across at least one "Abdullah-type" in a lifetime, and while it may not be the child's fault (they, like the prince, are often over-indulged by their folks), it makes them no easier to live with.

I'm intrigued by the child-adoption claims.
If real - very interesting.
Otherwise, it seems a shameless rehash of the old, "Children's writer hates kidss" myth, as alleged of Roald Dahl, Dr Seuss etc.
Mind you, Roald Dahl seems to have hated pretty much everyone...

Assouline seems to make some quite controversial claims - I'm going to have to see my way to finishing his biography of Hergé.
Personally, I can't imagine that Hergé could have adopted a child, sent him back to the orphanage and it not get mentioned in any other book about Hergé, nor in any documentary.

I'd think it could happen quite easily...
I imagine, post WWII there would be orphans to spare, and records are probably hard to come by for nosey biographers.
However, it could just be a rumour, or a story blown out of proportion.
I'm sure I read somewhere that Hergé had a child relation stay in his house, and was apalled at the damage and attention they required.

Rik

I've heard from a quite realiable source (which I'm unfortunately not able to name) that the story of the orphan is absolutely not true.

On the one hand it seems strange that Pierre Assouline would write something like that if it was not true (although I'm not totally convinced about everything he claims).
On the other hand, I don't understand why no other Hergé biography (that I've read) touches the subject.

So, does anyone know more about this?