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René Goscinny

From Alfawiki
René Goscinny
Born (1926-08-14) 14 August 1926 (age 100)
Paris, France
Died5 November 1977(1977-11-05) (aged 51)
Paris, France
Occupation(s)Comics editor, author, scriptwriter
Known forCo-creator of Asterix, writer for Lucky Luke, creator of Iznogoud and Le Petit Nicolas
Notable workAsterix series, Lucky Luke (writer), Iznogoud, Le Petit Nicolas

René Goscinny (14 August 1926 – 5 November 1977) was a prominent French comics editor and author, renowned primarily for co-creating the Asterix series alongside illustrator Albert Uderzo. Born in France to Polish-Jewish parents, he spent his formative years in Argentina attending French schools and later lived briefly in the United States, where he encountered Belgian cartoonist Morris. After returning to France, Goscinny collaborated with Morris for over two decades on the comic series Lucky Luke, which is widely regarded as its peak era.

In addition, he co-developed Iznogoud with Jean Tabary and penned the children's book series Le Petit Nicolas, illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé.

Early life

Born in Paris in 1926 to Jewish immigrants from Poland, Goscinny's father, Stanisław Simkha Gościnny, was a chemical engineer originating from Warsaw, while his mother, Anna Bereśniak-Gościnna, hailed from a village near Kyiv. His maternal grandfather was the founder of a printing business. When René was two years old, the family relocated to Buenos Aires after his father secured employment there. During his youth, Goscinny attended French-language schools and cultivated an early passion for drawing.

Following his high school graduation in 1942, the death of his father compelled Goscinny to enter the workforce. He initially took a role as an assistant accountant before transitioning into a junior illustrator position at an advertising firm. In 1945, he emigrated with his mother to New York to join her brother. To avoid conscription into the US military, Goscinny returned to France in 1946 and enlisted in the French Army, serving with the 141st Alpine Infantry Battalion stationed at Aubagne. There, he advanced to senior corporal and functioned as the regiment’s artist, creating various illustrations and posters.

First works

In 1947, Goscinny contributed to an illustrated edition of Balzac’s novella The Girl with the Golden Eyes. That April, he went back to New York where he endured a challenging period marked by unemployment and financial hardship. By 1948, he found work in a small studio and developed friendships with future contributors to MAD Magazine, including Will Elder, Jack Davis, and Harvey Kurtzman. He eventually became art director at Kunen Publishers and authored four children’s books.

During this period, Goscinny met Belgian comic artists Joseph Gillain (Jijé) and Maurice de Bevere (Morris). Morris had spent six years living in the US and created the series Lucky Luke, which Goscinny began scripting from 1955 until his passing in 1977—an era often considered its golden age.

In 1951, Georges Troisfontaines of the World Press agency convinced Goscinny to return to France to manage its Paris branch. There he encountered Albert Uderzo, initiating a long-term partnership. Their early projects included work for Bonnes Soirées, a women’s magazine where Goscinny scripted Sylvie, as well as launching series such as Jehan Pistolet and Luc Junior for La Libre Junior.

By 1955, Goscinny co-founded the syndicate Edipress/Edifrance alongside Uderzo, Jean-Michel Charlier, and Jean Hébrad. This collective introduced publications like Clairon and Pistolin. Among their joint creations were series including Bill Blanchart featured in Jeannot, Pistolet in Pistolin, and Benjamin et Benjamine. Writing under the pseudonym Agostini, Goscinny authored Le Petit Nicolas for Jean-Jacques Sempé in Le Moustique, later published in magazines such as Sud-Ouest and Pilote.

Starting from 1956, Goscinny contributed stories to Tintin magazine, crafting short narratives for artists Jo Angenot and Albert Weinberg. He worked on series like Signor Spaghetti with Dino Attanasio, Monsieur Tric with Bob de Moor, and Prudence Petitpas alongside Maurice Maréchal. Additional collaborations included projects with Tibet, Berck, and André Franquin. An early collaboration with Uderzo produced Oumpah-pah, serialized in Tintin between 1958 and 1962. Moreover, Goscinny wrote for other periodicals such as Paris-Flirt (with Lili Manequin) and Vaillant (featuring titles like Boniface et Anatole and Pipsi).

Pilote and Astérix (1959)

In 1959, the syndicate Édifrance/Édipresse introduced the Franco-Belgian comics publication Pilote. Goscinny emerged as a highly productive writer for this magazine, launching Astérix alongside Uderzo in its inaugural issue. The series rapidly gained international acclaim. Additionally, Goscinny revived Le Petit Nicolas and Jehan Pistolet (which was renamed Jehan Soupolet), while also creating Jacquot le Mousse and Tromblon et Bottaclou in collaboration with Godard.

Following Georges Dargaud’s acquisition of the magazine in 1960, Goscinny was named editor-in-chief. He introduced several new series such as Les Divagations de Monsieur Sait-Tout (with Martial), La Potachologie Illustrée (with Cabu), Les Dingodossiers (with Gotlib), and La Forêt de Chênebeau (with Mic Delinx). Working with Tabary, he created Calife Haroun El Poussah in the magazine Record, which later continued in Pilote under the title Iznogoud. In partnership with Raymond Macherot, he developed Pantoufle for the publication Spirou.

Family

In 1967, Goscinny wed Gilberte Pollaro-Millo. Their daughter, Anne Goscinny, born in 1968, pursued a career as an author and co-authored the screenplay for the 2022 animated movie Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be, alongside Michel Fessler and Massoubre.

Death

Goscinny passed away at the age of 51 from a heart attack during a routine stress test on 5 November 1977 in Paris. He was interred at the Jewish Cemetery in Nice, with the majority of his estate left to the chief rabbinate of France.

At the time of his death, Goscinny was halfway through writing Asterix in Belgium, which was published posthumously in 1979. To honor him, Uderzo depicted dark clouds and rain at the moment marking Goscinny’s demise, adding a tribute near the final panel featuring a rabbit gazing toward Goscinny's signature.

After his passing, Uderzo assumed responsibility for writing Asterix, continuing the series at a more gradual pace until transferring it in 2011 to writer Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrator Didier Conrad. Similarly, Tabary took over writing duties for Iznogoud, while Morris maintained work on Lucky Luke with various collaborators.

Uderzo also paid tribute to Goscinny by basing the Jewish character Saul ben Ephishul on him in the 1981 album L'Odyssée d'Astérix ("Asterix and the Black Gold"), an edition dedicated to Goscinny's memory.

Awards and honors

  • 1974: Received the Adamson Award for best international comic strip artist in Sweden
  • 2005: Honored as a Judges' choice inductee into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in the United States

Since 1996, the annual René Goscinny Award has been presented at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France to support emerging comic writers.

By August 2017, according to UNESCO's Index Translationum, Goscinny ranked as the 20th most-translated author worldwide, with over 2,200 translations of his works.

On 23 January 2020, a life-size bronze statue of Goscinny was unveiled near his former residence in Paris—marking the city’s first public monument dedicated to a comic book creator.

Filmography

Year Title Role Remarks
1968 Asterix and Cleopatra Co-director Provided uncredited voice for Commentator
1976 The Twelve Tasks of Asterix Co-director, co-writer, co-producer
1978 La Ballade des Dalton Voice actor for Jolly Jumper Portrayed Lucky Luke's horse; final cinematic appearance

Studios Idéfix

Studios Idéfix was an animation company established on April 1, 1974, by René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo, Georges Dargaud, and Morris. The studio’s emblem, created by Uderzo, humorously imitated MGM’s lion logo by featuring Dogmatix (Idéfix) in place of Leo the Lion.

Background

In 1973, Goscinny, Uderzo, Morris, and publisher Georges Dargaud launched Studios Idéfix to develop animated films within France—a sector that had lacked significant studios since the closure of Les Gémeaux in 1952. Prior to this, their creations were adapted by Belgium’s Belvision Studios.

Unhappy with the quality of previous adaptations, Goscinny and Uderzo decided to take direct control over storyboarding and production to maintain high standards. They appointed Henri Gruel and Pierre Watrin as heads of artistic direction and gathered a team composed of former animators alongside emerging talent recruited through the Paris Chamber of Commerce.

Their inaugural feature was The Twelve Tasks of Asterix, produced jointly with Halas and Batchelor and Dargaud. Unfortunately, following Goscinny’s unexpected passing in 1977 during the making of their second film, The Ballad of the Daltons, Studios Idéfix ceased operations permanently in 1978.

Produced Films

Bibliography

Series Years Active Publication Number of Albums Publisher Illustrator
Lucky Luke 1955–1977 Spirou and Pilote 38 Dupuis and Dargaud Morris
Modeste et Pompon 1955–1958 Tintin 2 Le Lombard André Franquin
Prudence Petitpas 1957–1959 Tintin Lombard Maurice Maréchal
Signor Spaghetti 1957–1965 Tintin 15 Lombard Dino Attanasio
Oumpah-pah 1958–1962 Tintin 3 Lombard Albert Uderzo
Strapontin 1958–1964 Tintin 4 Lombard Berck
Astérix 1959–1977 Pilote 24 Dargaud Albert Uderzo
Le Petit Nicolas 1959–1965 Pilote 5 Denoël Jean-Jacques Sempé
Iznogoud 1962–1977 'Record' and 'Pilote' 14 Dargaud Jean Tabary
Les Dingodossiers 1965–1967 'Pilote' 3 'Dargaud' 'Gotlib'
  • Note:* After Goscinny's passing, other authors continued the series Lucky Luke, Modeste et Pompon, Asterix, and Iznogoud.

References

External links

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