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René Goscinny (, ; 14 August 1926 – 5 November 1977) was a French comic editor and writer, who created the ''
Astérix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...
''
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
series with illustrator
Albert Uderzo Alberto Aleandro Uderzo (; ; 25 April 1927 – 24 March 2020), better known as Albert Uderzo, was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the '' Astérix'' series in collaboration with ...
. Raised largely in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, where he attended French schools, he lived for a time in the United States. There he met Belgian cartoonist
Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...
. After his return to France, they collaborated for more than 20 years on the comic series ''
Lucky Luke ''Lucky Luke'' is a Western ''bande dessinée'' series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborating with French writer René Goscinny. Their par ...
'' (in what was considered the series' golden age). He wrote ''
Iznogoud ''Iznogoud'' (pronounced "he's/is no good" with a French accent) is a French comics series featuring an eponymous character, created by the comics writer René Goscinny and comics artist Jean Tabary. The comic series chronicles the life and tim ...
'' with
Jean Tabary Jean Tabary (5 March 1930 – 18 August 2011) was a French comics artist. Biography Tabary was born in Stockholm and made his comics debut with ''Richard et Charlie'' published in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Vaillant'' on 5 November ...
. Goscinny also wrote a series of children's books known as ''
Le Petit Nicolas ''Le Petit Nicolas'' (Little Nicholas) is a series of French children's books created by René Goscinny and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé and it was first published on 30 March 1959. The books depict an idealized version of childhood in 19 ...
'' (''Little Nicolas'') illustrated by
Jean-Jacques Sempé Jean-Jacques Sempé, usually known as Sempé (; 17 August 1932 – 11 August 2022), was a French cartoonist. He is known for the series of children's books he created with René Goscinny, ''Le Petit Nicolas'', and also for his poster-like illust ...
.


Early life

Goscinny was born in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1926, to
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
immigrants from
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. His parents were Stanisław Simkha Gościnny, a chemical engineer from
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, and Anna (Hanna) Bereśniak-Gościnna from Chodorków (Ходорків), a small village near Kyiv in Ukraine. Goscinny's maternal grandfather, Abraham Lazare Berezniak, founded a printing company. Claude, Goscinny's older brother, was six years older, born on 10 December 1920. Stanisław and Anna had met in Paris and married in 1919. When René was two, the Gościnnys moved to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, because his father had been hired as a chemical engineer there. René had a happy childhood in Buenos Aires and studied in French-language schools there. He was often the "class clown", probably to compensate for a natural shyness. He started drawing very early on, inspired by the illustrated stories which he enjoyed reading. In December 1943, the year after Goscinny graduated from lycée or high school, his father died of a
cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...
(stroke). The youth had to go to work. The next year, he got his first job, as an assistant accountant in a tire recovery factory. After being laid off the following years, Goscinny became a junior illustrator in an advertising agency. Goscinny, along with his mother, emigrated from Argentina and immigrated to New York, United States in 1945, to join her brother Boris. To avoid service in the
United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
, he travelled to France to join the
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
in 1946. He served at
Aubagne Aubagne (, ''Aubanha'' in Occitan language, Occitan according to the classic norm or ''Aubagno'' according to the Mistralian norm) is a Commune in France, commune in the southern French Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône. In ...
, in the 141st Alpine Infantry Battalion. Promoted to senior
corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
, he became the appointed artist of the regiment and drew illustrations and posters for the army.


First works

The following year, Goscinny worked on an illustrated version of the Balzac short story " The Girl with the Golden Eyes." In April of that year he returned to New York. There he went through the most difficult period of his life. For a while, Goscinny was jobless, alone, and living in poverty. By 1948, though, he had begun working in a small studio, where he became friends with future ''
MAD Magazine Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to: Geography * Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia * Mád, a village in Hungary * Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code * Mad River (disambiguation), several r ...
'' contributors
Will Elder William Elder (born Wolf William Eisenberg; September 22, 1921 – May 15, 2008) was an American illustrator and comic book artist who worked in numerous areas of commercial art but is best known for a frantically funny cartoon style that helped ...
, Jack Davis, and
Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book '' Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ''Little Ann ...
. Goscinny became art director at Kunen Publishers, where he wrote four books for children. Around this time he met two Belgian comic artists, Joseph Gillain, better known as
Jijé Joseph Gillain (), better known by his pen name Jijé (; 13 January 1914 – 19 June 1980), was a Belgian comics artist, best known for being a seminal artist on the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' strip (and for having introduced the Fantasio character) a ...
, and Maurice de Bevere, also known as
Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...
. Morris lived in the US for six years, having already started his cartoon series ''
Lucky Luke ''Lucky Luke'' is a Western ''bande dessinée'' series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborating with French writer René Goscinny. Their par ...
.'' (He and Goscinny collaborated on this, with Goscinny writing it from 1955 until his death in 1977, a period described as its golden age).
Georges Troisfontaines Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia *Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses *Georges (name) *Georges (novel), ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas *Georges ( ...
, chief of the World Press agency, convinced Goscinny to return to France in 1951 in order to work for his agency as the head of the
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
office. There he met
Albert Uderzo Alberto Aleandro Uderzo (; ; 25 April 1927 – 24 March 2020), better known as Albert Uderzo, was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the '' Astérix'' series in collaboration with ...
, with whom he started a longtime collaboration. They started out with some work for '' Bonnes Soirées'', a women's magazine for which Goscinny wrote ''Sylvie''. Goscinny and Uderzo also launched the series ''Jehan Pistolet'' and ''Luc Junior,'' in the magazine ''La Libre Junior''. In 1955, Goscinny, together with Uderzo,
Jean-Michel Charlier Jean-Michel Charlier (; 30 October 1924 – 10 July 1989) was a Belgian comics writer. He was a co-founder of the famed Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''Pilote''. Life Charlier was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1924.De Weyer, Geert (2005). ...
, and Jean Hébrad, founded the syndicate Edipress/Edifrance. The syndicate launched publications such as ''Clairon'' for the factory union and ''Pistolin'' for a chocolate company. Goscinny and Uderzo cooperated on the series ''Bill Blanchart'' in ''Jeannot'', ''Pistolet'' in ''Pistolin,'' and ''Benjamin et Benjamine'' in the magazine of the same name. Under the pseudonym Agostini, Goscinny wrote ''
Le Petit Nicolas ''Le Petit Nicolas'' (Little Nicholas) is a series of French children's books created by René Goscinny and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé and it was first published on 30 March 1959. The books depict an idealized version of childhood in 19 ...
'' for
Jean-Jacques Sempé Jean-Jacques Sempé, usually known as Sempé (; 17 August 1932 – 11 August 2022), was a French cartoonist. He is known for the series of children's books he created with René Goscinny, ''Le Petit Nicolas'', and also for his poster-like illust ...
in '' Le Moustique.'' It was later published in '' Sud-Ouest'' and ''
Pilote Cover of the first ''Pilote'' issue #0 ''Pilote'' () was a French comic magazine published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major French or Belgian comics talents of its day the magazine introduced major series such as ''Astérix'', '' ...
'' magazines. In 1956, Goscinny began a collaboration with ''
Tintin Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to: ''The Adventures of Tintin'' * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series ** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...
'' magazine. He wrote some short stories for Jo Angenot and Albert Weinberg, and worked on ''Signor Spaghetti'' with
Dino Attanasio Dino Attanasio (real name Edoardo Attanasio, born 8 May 1925) is a Belgian author of comics. Biography Attanasio was born in Milan. After studies at the Academy of Arts of Milan, Dino Attanasio started to work in illustration and animation in ...
, ''Monsieur Tric'' with Bob de Moor, ''
Prudence Petitpas Prudence Petitpas was a Belgian comics series, created by Maurice Maréchal. Concept ''Prudence Petitpas'' is a humoristic series about an old lady, Prudence Petitpas, who lives in the fictional village Moucheron. Much like Miss Marple, she inves ...
'' with Maurice Maréchal, ''Globul le Martien'' and ''Alphonse'' with
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
, ''Strapontin'' with
Berck Berck (), sometimes referred to as Berck-sur-Mer (, literally ''Berck on Sea''), is a commune in the northern French department of Pas-de-Calais. It lies within the Marquenterre regional park, an ornithological nature reserve. Geography Situa ...
and ''
Modeste et Pompon ''Modeste and Pompon'' (''Modeste et Pompon'') is a Belgian comic series consisting mainly of humorous one-page short stories about a temperamental young man and his girlfriend. Created by André Franquin, it was first published in ''Tintin'' ma ...
'' with
André Franquin André Franquin (; 3 January 1924 – 5 January 1997) was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best-known creations are '' Gaston'' and ''Marsupilami''. He also produced the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to 1968, a period s ...
. An early creation with Uderzo, '' Oumpah-pah'', was also adapted for serial publication in ''Tintin'' from 1958 to 1962. In addition, Goscinny appeared in the magazines '' Paris-Flirt'' (''Lili Manequin'' with
Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
) and '' Vaillant'' (''Boniface et Anatole'' with Jordom, ''Pipsi'' with Godard).


''Pilote'' and ''Astérix'' (1959)

In 1959, the Édifrance/Édipresse syndicate started the Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''
Pilote Cover of the first ''Pilote'' issue #0 ''Pilote'' () was a French comic magazine published from 1959 to 1989. Showcasing most of the major French or Belgian comics talents of its day the magazine introduced major series such as ''Astérix'', '' ...
''. Goscinny became one of the most productive writers for the magazine. In the magazine's first issue, he launched ''
Astérix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...
'', with Uderzo. The series was an instant hit and remains popular worldwide. Goscinny also restarted the series ''Le Petit Nicolas'' and ''Jehan Pistolet'', now called ''Jehan Soupolet''. Goscinny also began ''Jacquot le Mousse'' and ''Tromblon et Bottaclou'' with Godard. The magazine was bought by
Georges Dargaud Georges Dargaud (27 April 1911 – 18 July 1990) was a French publisher of comics, most famously '' Tintin magazine'', ''Asterix'', and ''Lucky Luke'', through his Dargaud company. Biography Dargaud started out working as a broker for an advertis ...
in 1960, and Goscinny became editor-in-chief. He also began new series like ''Les Divagations de Monsieur Sait-Tout'' (with Martial), ''La Potachologie Illustrée'' (with Cabu), ''Les Dingodossiers'' (with
Gotlib Marcel Gottlieb (14 July 1934 – 4 December 2016), known professionally as Gotlib, was a French French comics, comics artist/writer and publisher. Through his own work and the magazines he co-founded, ''L'Écho des savanes'' and ''Fluide Glacial' ...
) and ''La Forêt de Chênebeau'' (with Mic Delinx). With Tabary, he launched ''Calife Haroun El Poussah'' in ''Record'', a series that was later continued in ''Pilote'' as ''
Iznogoud ''Iznogoud'' (pronounced "he's/is no good" with a French accent) is a French comics series featuring an eponymous character, created by the comics writer René Goscinny and comics artist Jean Tabary. The comic series chronicles the life and tim ...
''. With
Raymond Macherot Raymond Macherot (30 March 1924 – 26 September 2008) was a Belgian cartoonist. Although not nearly as famous as fellow Belgian cartoonists such as Hergé or André Franquin, Macherot's work, both as artist and writer, remains highly regarded am ...
he created ''Pantoufle'' for '' Spirou''.


Family

Goscinny married Gilberte Pollaro-Millo in 1967. In 1968 their daughter Anne Goscinny was born. She also became an author. Anne Goscinny, the daughter of René Goscinny, co-wrote the screenplay for ''Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be,'' 2022 animation film with Michel Fessler and Massoubre.


Death

Goscinny died at 51, in Paris of
cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...
on 5 November 1977, during a routine stress test at his doctor's office. He was buried in the Jewish Cemetery in
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
. In accordance with his will, most of his money was transferred to the chief rabbinate of France. Goscinny's death occurred halfway through the writing of ''
Asterix in Belgium ''Asterix in Belgium'' (french: Astérix chez les Belges, lit=Asterix among the Belgians/ Belgae) is the twenty-fourth volume of the Asterix comic book series, by René Goscinny (story) and Albert Uderzo (illustrations). It is noted as the last ...
'' (published in 1979, two years after his death). As a homage to Goscinny, Uderzo drew darkened skies and rain into the comic for the rest of the book, to mark the point at which Goscinny died. There is a further tribute at the end of ''Asterix in Belgium''; near the lower left corner of the final panel of the album, Uderzo drew a rabbit sadly looking over its shoulders towards Goscinny's signature. After Goscinny's death, Uderzo began to write ''Asterix'' himself and continued the series, although at a much slower pace, until passing the series over in 2011 to writer
Jean-Yves Ferri Jean-Yves Ferri () (born 20 April 1959) is a French writer, designer, and colourist of comics. On 25 July 2011, he was chosen as the writer for the next installment of the Asterix series created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Uderzo person ...
and illustrator
Didier Conrad Didier Conrad (born 6 May 1959) is a French comics artist and writer. Since 2012, he has been the artist of the popular ''Asterix'' series. Biography Beginnings Didier Conrad was born in Marseille of parents originally from Switzerland. He dev ...
. Tabary similarly began to write ''Iznogoud'' himself, whereas Morris continued ''Lucky Luke'' with various other writers. In a tribute to Goscinny, Uderzo gave his late colleague's likeness to the Jewish character Saul ben Ephishul in the 1981 album ''L'Odyssée d'Astérix'' ("
Asterix and the Black Gold ''Asterix and the Black Gold'' (French: ''L'Odyssée d'Astérix'' literally "Asterix's Odyssey") is the twenty-sixth volume of Asterix comic book series, originally published in 1981. It is the second book to be both written and drawn by Albert ...
"), which is dedicated to Goscinny's memory.


Awards and honors

*1974:
Adamson Award Adamson Awards is a Swedish award awarded to notable cartoonists, named after the famous Swedish comic strip "Adamson" (Silent Sam). They have been presented by the Swedish Academy of Comic Art (SACA) since 1965. There have been years in that ti ...
for best international comic strip artist, Sweden *2005: Inducted in the Will Eisner Hall of Fame as a Judges' choice, U.S. Since 1996, the René Goscinny Award is presented at the yearly
Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (french: Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lu ...
in France as an encouragement for young comic writers. According to
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
's
Index Translationum The Index Translationum is UNESCO's database of book translations. Books have been translated for thousands of years, with no central record of the fact. The League of Nations established a record of translations in 1932. In 1946, the United Nation ...
, Goscinny, as of August 2017, was the 20th most-translated author, with 2,200 translations of his work. On 23 January 2020, a life-sized bronze statue of Goscinny was unveiled near his former home in Paris. It was the first public statue in Paris dedicated to a comic book author.


Filmography


Bibliography

: *a.   As part of a writers' team coming up with gags. *b.   The series ''Lucky Luke'', ''Modeste et Pompon'', ''Asterix'' and ''Iznogoud'' were continued by other writers after Goscinny's death.


Notes


References


Goscinny publications in ''Pilote''
an

BDoubliées

Bedetheque


External links


Goscinny official site

Astérix official site

On Dupuis.com

Goscinny biography
on Asterix International!

on Lambiek Comiclopedia
Daughter Ann
lighting Hanuka candles with family. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Goscinny, Rene 1926 births 1977 deaths 20th-century French illustrators 20th-century French military personnel 20th-century French writers Asterix Comic book editors French Army soldiers French cartoonists French children's writers French comics writers French editors French magazine editors French expatriates in Argentina French expatriates in the United States French male writers French people of Polish-Jewish descent French satirists Jewish artists Jewish French writers Lucky Luke Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees Writers from Paris César Honorary Award recipients