Editing The Red Sea Sharks (section)

==History==
===Background and publication===
Hergé was inspired to develop the plot for ''The Red Sea Sharks'' after reading a magazine article detailing the continued existence of the slave trade within the Arab world, in which it was claimed that African pilgrims headed to Mecca were being enslaved during the journey. {{sfnm|1a1=Thompson|1y=1991|1p=165|2a1=Lofficier|2a2=Lofficier|2y=2002|2p=71|3a1=Assouline|3y=2009|3p=177|4a1=Goddin|4y=2011|4p=72}} 
One of the routes that supplied the [[Red Sea slave trade]] where hajj pilgrims,<ref>Miers, Suzanne (2003). Slavery in the Twentieth Century: The Evolution of a Global Problem. Rowman Altamira. ISBN 978-0-7591-0340-5.p88-90</ref> and the Red Sea Slave trade was still ongoing in the 1950s, [[slavery in Saudi Arabia]] and [[Slavery in Yemen|in Yemen]] being banned in 1962, [[slavery in Dubai]] in 1963 and [[Slavery in Oman|in Oman]] in 1970. Hergé included a reference to this slave trade in the story's original French title, ''Coke en Stock'' ("Coke on Board"), which referred to the slave smuggler's use of "[[coke (fuel)|coke]]" as a codeword for the enslaved people. {{sfnm|1a1=Thompson|1y=1991|1p=165|2a1=Farr|2y=2001|2p=152|3a1=Lofficier|3a2=Lofficier|3y=2002|3p=70|4a1=Goddin|4y=2011|4p=74}}

[[File:Al Khazneh (The Treasury) (12293839934).jpg|thumb|left|The Treasury (''Al Khazneh'') in Petra depicted in the book]]

Before writing the story, Hergé had read ''Balzac et son monde'' ("Balzac and His World"), a 1955 book written by his friend [[Félicien Marceau]].{{sfnm|1a1=Goddin|1y=2011|1p=63|2a1=Peeters|2y=2012|2p=256}} Intrigued by the work of [[Honoré de Balzac]], Hergé was inspired by how Balzac kept reusing characters from his previous stories and he subsequently adopted this trait for ''The Red Sea Sharks'', in which a wide range of characters from ''The Adventures of Tintin'' make a reappearance.{{sfnm|1a1=Farr|1y=2001|1p=151|2a1=Peeters|2y=2012|2p=256}} Hergé also introduced a new character, the Estonian pilot Piotr Skut, who would later reappear in ''[[Flight 714 to Sydney]]''.{{sfn|Farr|2001|p=151}}

To produce accurate illustrations for the ''Ramona'', Hergé and his assistant [[Bob de Moor]] travelled aboard a Swedish cargo vessel, the MS ''Reine Astrid'', from [[Antwerp]] to [[Gothenburg]] and back, during which they took photographs and drew sketches.{{sfnm|1a1=Thompson|1y=1991|1p=165|2a1=Farr|2y=2001|2p=155, 157|3a1=Goddin|3y=2011|3pp=79&ndash;80}} Hergé had also collected press clippings depicting the ''[[Christina O|Christina]]'', a motor yacht owned by the Greek shipping magnate [[Aristotle Onassis]], and used them as the basis for his depiction of Rastapopoulos' ship, the ''Sheherezade''.{{sfn|Farr|2001|p=158}}
The aircraft, cars, and machinery that appear in the story were drawn by [[Roger Leloup]], one of the members of the [[Studios Hergé]].{{sfnm|1a1=Thompson|1y=1991|1p=165|2a1=Farr|2y=2001|2p=157}} In one scene in the latter part of the story, Hergé included a 
[[frogman]], whose depiction was drawn from a press clipping of [[Lionel Crabb]]. {{sfn|Farr|2001|pp=157&ndash;158}} His depiction of the Emir's hideaway palace cut from the rock was based on the [[Al Khazneh]] in [[Petra]], Jordan, which he had seen in an issue of ''[[National Geographic (magazine)|National Geographic]]''.{{sfnm|1a1=Thompson|1y=1991|1p=166|2a1=Farr|2y=2001|2p=152|3a1=Goddin|3y=2011|3p=82}}

Hergé's growing interest in art was reflected in the story, as he included a copy of [[Alfred Sisley]]'s ''[[The Canal du Loing (painting)|Le Canal du Loing]]'' at Marlinspike Hall.{{sfnm|1a1=Farr|1y=2001|1p=158|2a1=Goddin|2y=2011|2p=82}} He also included paintings by [[Pablo Picasso]] and [[Joan Miró]] aboard Rastapopolous' ''Scheherazade''.{{sfn|Farr|2001|p=158}} Muller's pseudonym in the story, Mull Pasha, was based upon the British soldier [[John Bagot Glubb|Glubb Pasha]].{{sfnm|1a1=Thompson|1y=1991|1p=165|2a1=Farr|2y=2001|2p=152}} The character of Piotr Skut was based on {{ill|Remi Milk|et}}, an Estonian pilot who escaped to Sweden from Estonia in an Arado floatplane.{{sfn|JSS Gallery|2011}} In the final scene, Hergé included cameos of both himself and his friend and colleague [[Edgar P. Jacobs]]. {{sfn|Farr|2001|p=155}}

The story began serialisation in Belgium's ''Tintin'' magazine in October 1956,{{sfn|Lofficier|Lofficier|2002|p=70}} before being serialised in the French edition of the magazine in December.{{sfn|Lofficier|Lofficier|2002|p=70}} It was then published in book form by Casterman in 1958.{{sfn|Lofficier|Lofficier|2002|p=70}} Upon the story's British publication in 1960, ''Coke en Stock'' was renamed ''The Red Sea Sharks''.{{sfnm|1a1=Farr|1y=2001|1p=152|2a1=Goddin|2y=2011|2p=74}}

===Racism allegations and alterations===
Hergé had been accused of exhibiting a racist attitude toward Africans in an earlier story, ''[[Tintin in the Congo]]'', and potentially hoped to exonerate himself from such criticism by depicting Tintin and Haddock freeing African slaves in ''The Red Sea Sharks''.{{sfn|Farr|2001|p=152}} In preparing the latter story he had consulted a colleague who worked for an African-themed magazine, ''[[L'Afrique et le Monde]]'' ("Africa and the World"); they translated some of the passages that Hergé wished to include in the story into [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]].{{sfn|Goddin|2011|p=93}} However, in January 1962 an article in the magazine ''[[Jeune Afrique]]'' criticised Hergé for a racist depiction of Africans in the story,{{sfnm|1a1=Peeters|1y=1989|1pp=106&ndash;107|2a1=Thompson|2y=1991|2p=166|3a1=Farr|3y=2001|3p=152}} an accusation that would be echoed in other publications.{{sfnm|1a1=Peeters|1y=1989|1p=106|2a1=Thompson|2y=1991|2p=166}} These claims focused on the African characters' simplistic use of [[pidgin]] language, which was similar to the speech patterns used in ''Tintin in the Congo''.{{sfn|Peeters|1989|p=107}}

:African: "You speak well, Effendi. Wicked Arab, very wicked. Poor black men do not want to be slaves. Poor black men want to go to Mecca".
:Haddock: "Naturally, I realise that. But I repeat if you go there, you'll be sold as slaves. Is that what you want?"
:African: "We not slaves, Effendi. We good Muslims. We want to go to Mecca".{{sfn|Peeters|1989|p=107}}

Hergé biographer Benoît Peeters expressed the view that "for the most part these attacks were extremely unfair".{{sfn|Peeters|1989|p=107}}
Hergé was emotionally affected by the accusations, and made changes to the book for its 1967 reprint accordingly; here he changed the Africans' speech patterns, giving them improved grammar.{{sfnm|1a1=Peeters|1y=1989|1p=107|2a1=Thompson|2y=1991|2p=167|3a1=Farr|3y=2001|3p=155}}
However, he left Haddock speaking pidgin in response to the Africans. {{sfn|Peeters|1989|p=107}}

For this version, he also made changes to the Emir's letter to Tintin; the former version had been formal in its prose, saying "Most esteemed and well-beloved friend, I entrust to you my son Abdullah, to improve his English. Here the situation is serious. Should any misfortune befall me I count on you, my friend, to care for Abdullah". In Hergé's revised edition, he adopts a more florid prose style: "This is to tell you, oh highly esteemed friend, that I entrusted to you Abdullah, my adored son. Because here the situation is serious. Should misfortune descend on me like the hawk on an innocent gazelle (for the world is made of life and death) I am sure that Abdullah will find you with warmth and affection, refuge and peace. And in doing this you will be performing a fragrant act before [[God in Islam|Allah]]".{{sfnm|1a1=Peeters|1y=1989|1p=107|2a1=Farr|2y=2001|2p=155}}

Hergé also expressed regret that he depicted the death of a shark in the story, later stating that "I still believed that sharks were big evil beasts" when writing ''The Red Sea Sharks''.{{sfn|Farr|2001|p=155}}