Albert Uderzo, creator of the Astérix comics has been publicly criticized by his daughter for selling the rights to the character.
Earlier this month, it was reported that a 60% share of Éditions Albert-René, the publishing comping established by Uderzo to release the Astérix comics had been sold to publishing giant Hachette Livre. The deal also allows Hachette to continue the publication of new Astérix volumes in the event of Uderzo’s death.
Uderzo created the diminutive Gaul with colleague René Goscinny and continued with the adventures of Astérix and his sidekick Obelix following Goscinny’s death in 1977. Unlike Uderzo’s daughter, Sylvie who retains a 40% stage in Editions Albert-René, Goscinny’s daughter Anne consented to the deal with Hachette.
Early in January, Sylvie voiced a bitter denunciation of the sale and her father’s decision in the French newspaper Le Monde.
In a statement to French press, Albert Uderzo said, “To be accused by my own daughter … of being an old man, manipulated and deluded in his insatiable greed by the gnomes of finance, is already quite undignified.”
The 81-year-old cartoonist added, “The accusation made against me is not only inspired by the appetite for power, it also aims to insult Astérix readers by confusing my abilities as an author with that of a publishing house shareholder.”
Astérix has sold more than 300 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 100 languages. In addition to movie adaptations, there is Parc Astérix a theme park in France.
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