Comic strip heroes on the couch – The unriddling of the complexes of Asterix, Babar, Donald, Tintin and Superman. Dutch. Striphelden op de divan – De ontraadseling van de complexen van Asterix, Babar, Donald, Kuifje en Superman (Amsterdam: Nieuwezijds, 176 p., with lit. Special illustrations by Mariet Numan. ISBN 90 5712 137 9).

Is it possible to do a kind of psychoanalysis of comic strip heroes? Do the unconscious dreams and nightmares of their creators transpire in these supposedly ‘free fantasies’? It turns out they do.

            The chapters focus on the strange resonances between the absurd made-up stories of the classical fantasy figures and the hidden secrets of their authors. The story of the little elephant Babar is about losing parents and losing paradise. The story of the duck Donald and his little nephews is about fathers and sons, their frustration and aggression. The story of the boy scout/ junior journalist Tintin is about a bastard orphan of very high descent. The story of Superman is about a Jewish schlemiel turning superhero. Asterix is the story of a national symbol created by two unwelcome immigrants. But there are a hundred more strange resonances that can be detected and decrypted as well.

Dutch : Sold Out/ Out of print > Pdf

             Tv Bk. Itw. Daphne Bunskoek, Ontbijt Tv, KRO, Ned. 1 (7'00):  https://www.youtube.com/ 

             The author also helped develop a related 2006 exhibition in the psychiatry museum Het Dolhuys in Haarlem.