Asterix and the Helvezi – Wikipedia

Asterix and the Helvezi ( Asterix in Helvetians ) is the sixteenth comic book story of the series Asterix ^[first] , created by René Goscinny (screenplay) and Albert Uderzo (drawings). His first publication in original language volume dates back to 1970 ^[2] .

The Roman governor of Condate, the corrupt and dissolved Garovirus, receives the visit of the integral commissioner Claudius Malosinus and, to prevent these from unscrewing his shady traffic (most of the proceeds of the taxes imposed by Rome to the citizens if he pocketed him for Make disgusting orgies), poisons him in the vegetable broth with deception. Reduced over life, Malosinus sends a legionary in the village of Asterix. Panoramix; After visiting Malosinus declares that he needs a special ingredient to prepare the antidote: an alpine star, a flower that grows only on the Alps.

Thus, brought the Roman to the village, where it will be safe from further assassination attempts, the Vagliardo commits Asterix and Obelix to go to the Elvezi country to recover the rare plant. He therefore begins the umpteenth journey of the couple, during which they will have to deal with the Romans of the perfidious Garovirus and his friend Diplodocus, governor of helmet, willing to make their mission fail. After various vicissitudes on the streets of Geneva, a feast of fondue and a climb on the Alpine peaks The two will be able to get their hands on the precious flower thus saving the life of the commissioner.

The characters present in the most relevant history for the plot purposes are:

• Asterix: as usual he shows up to the task entrusted to him, managing to the various adversities to mock the Romans
• Obelix: ends up drunk during the celebrations of a party, thus remaining without senses during the final climb to the mountain. For this reason, returning to the village, he said he is convinced that Elvezia is “flat”
• Formagginix ( Petisuix ): Owner of a hotel in Geneva, it is an Swiss that does not hesitate to help Asterix and Obelix in their mission.
• Zurich ( Zurix ) ^[3] : owner of a very fair Swiss bank, he is a friend of Formagginix and accepts on his request to hide the Gauls in one of his impenetrable safe -depth boxes
• Garovirus ( Gracchus garovirus ) ^[4] : corrupt governor of Condate (the current Rennes), does not scruple to appropriate the proceeds of the taxes destined for Rome and, then, to poison Malosinus to avoid being discovered. Lover of fading, it is used to organize grandiose orgies in which dishes such as fried wild boar tripes in uro fat with honey is needed.
• Diplodocus: Governor of the city of Geneva (today’s Geneva), is a longtime friend of Garovirus and does not hesitate to help him giving himself to hinder Asterix and Obelix. As his friend loves orgies, but his attempts to create a dirty and decadent environment are frustrated by the Swiss attitude to cleaning
• Claudius malosus ^[5] : Honest Roman Quaestor, he is poisoned by Garovirus and is aimed at Panoramix. In the end of the story, healed, after selling himself to the sound of his bombing, participates in the classic banquet under the stars in the village of Asterix, the only Roman to never be agreed this privilege

Uderzo declared how the idea of ​​making Asterix and Obelix make a trip to Switzerland was suggested by the then French Prime Minister Georges Pompidou, to whom he and Goscinny sent some books of the series (which, comments Uderzo, “we hadn’t had dared to do with De Gaulle “) ^[2] .

Also in this story, stereotypes referring to the modern population of the place visited are parodiative, in this case the inhabitants of helmet are presented according to the most common stereotypes of Switzerland ^[2] : the almost obsessive love for punctuality and cleaning, cuckoo watches, the unfathomable banks of banks, the Yodel songs and the fondue, then the reference to the national hero Guglielmo Tell ^[2] . During the stay in Geneve, Asterix and Obelix they come across the “National Conference of the Tribus”, which recalls the United Nations ^[2] ; The “cardrogrill” in which the two heroes refresh in table 14, the parody of modern automotive (or, to say, the French or better Restoroute ) and the “funny” warrior who changes a wheel on table 16, very similar to the mascot of the French oil company “Antar” (then detected by the Elf) ^[2] . This character, almost unknown out of France, has been replaced in the English edition by the Michelin homino ^{[2] [6] [7]} . The bridge over the “Lacus Lemanus” (Lake Lemano) in the comic was just reconstructed after being destroyed by Caesar, made historically ^[8] . The orgy organized by Garovirus is an explicit reference to the film Satyricon by Federico Fellini (and in fact the governor says that he organizes his man named Fellinius) ^[2] .

This is one of the very few books in which pirates do not appear, recurring characters of the series in fact, in the tav. 6, Malosinus says that during his journey he was attacked by a pirate fleet, who fortunately went to fight with each other and made their boat sink.

In France the story was initially served within the magazine Pilot in which it appeared to episodes by the number 557 (9 July 1970) to 578 (3 December 1970) ^[9] ; Later he was published in the cardboard in 1970 by the publisher Dargaud. Currently the register is reprinted by the publishing house Hache Livre, who in December 2008 acquired from Uderzo and by Anna Goscinny (daughter of the disappearance René) all the rights on the publications of Asterix ^{[ten] [11]} .

Foreign editions [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

Italy [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

In Italy the register is published, like the others in the series, by Mondadori; The first Italian edition dates back to July 1971 ^{[twelfth] [13]} For the translation of Luciana Marconcini ^[14] . Mondadori has reprinted the register several times over the years; The last edition, conducted on the French one of Hache Livre, is of the end of 2011 and compared to the previous ones, while keeping the translation unchanged, a different cover, a new lettering and a renewed coloring ^[twelfth] ; It is also characterized by having the silhouette of Asterix printed in red on the coast. The story was also published in episodes within the magazine The newspaper (Edizioni San Paolo), in which he made his first appearance in 1978 ^[13] then coming to it periodically reprinted. This edition is based on the Mondadori one and presents the same translation by Luciana Marconcini.

The original title of the register, Asterix in Helvetians , has been translated as follows in some of the main languages ​​in which the comic is published ^[15] ; The publishing house and the year of first publication are also indicated ^[16] :

• catalano: Asterix in the Helvecian country – saves editors Spain (first edition Mas Ivars Editores, 1977)
• Croatian: Asterix in Switzerland – Sources Publishing Hous, Croatia, 1994
• Czech: Asterix 5 Helvetii – Egmont ČR, Czech Rep., 1994
• Danish: Asterix in the Alps! – Egmont serial team A/S, Denmark, 1975
• Finnish: Asterix and the alpine flower – Egmont Kustus Oy, Finlandia, 1972
• English: Asterix in Switzerland – Orion, United Kingdom, 1973
• Dutch: Asterix and the Helvetians – Hachette Book, Netherlands, 1973
• Polish: Asterix u Helwetów – Egmont Poland Ltd, Poland, 1994
• Portuguese: Astérix between the Helvécios – Wing editions, Portugal, 1970
• Spanish: Asterix in Helvecia – saves editors Spain, 1971
• Swedish: Asterix in the Alps – Egmont Kärnan AB, Sweden, 1975
• German: Asterix with the Swiss – Egmont Ehapa Verlag, Germany, 1973

• ( FR , IN , IS , OF , NL , PT ) Card of the Register . are Asterix.com (official website) . URL consulted on January 3, 2015 (archived by URL Original 9 October 2014) .
• Card of the Register . are asterixweb.it . URL consulted on 29 December 2011 (archived by URL Original June 21, 2012) .
• Card of the Register . are iafol.org . URL consulted on 29 December 2011 (archived by URL Original August 28, 2011) .
• ( IN ) Card of the Register and information on translations . are Asterix-obelix.nl (Asterix Around the World) .
• ( FR ) Card of the Register, information and annotations . are Mage.fst.uha.fr .
• ( IN ) Register of the Register and Annotations . are Asterix.openscroll.org .
• ( IN ) Register of the Register and Annotations . are The die is cast . URL consulted on January 28, 2012 (archived by URL Original April 4, 2013) .