Spanish 'bawdy' version of Tintin withdrawn from bookstores

London, Aug 18 : The Spanish version of one of Tintin's most famous tales, 'The Blue Lotus', has been withdrawn from the bookstores due to its bawdy content.

The book entitled 'The Pink Lotus' contains graphic sex scenes that may raise the eyebrows of parents with young children, say reports.

The book was withdrawn after the pressure from Herge's estate, which controls the rights to the work of the Belgian writer Georges Remi.

The estate claims that the book by Spanish author, Antonio Altarriba, "perverted the essence of the personality" of Tintin.

It put pressure on the book's publisher, Edicions de Ponent, and distributors to ensure that it would not appear in bookshops again.

In the book, Tintin is depicted in his 30s instead of the ageless character beloved of generations of children.

Many of his contemporaries have disappeared, and the famous journalist is undergoing something of a midlife crisis.

The Belgian tabloid journalist has been shown to have affairs with various women.

Disheartened Altarriba said that he would never write about Tintin again.

"I am an author and am totally against plagiarism, but the use of personalities which are already in existence is common," the Guardian quoted Altarriba as saying.

"I have used many characters from the past in my books and I have never had a problem. But after this I will never write again about Tintin," he added.

ANI