Copi

Raul Damonte Botana alias Copi (born with Buenos Aires (Argentinian) the November 20th 1939 - died of the AIDS the December 14th 1987), is mainly high with Montevideo (Uruguay) in a perfectly French-speaking family whose father is newspaper editor and deputy anti-péroniste. Perhaps drawing from the taste of this last for painting an early talent for the drawing, he collaborates as of the 16 years age in the satirical newspaper Tía Vicenta .

Biography

The political activities of his/her father oblige it to be exiled in its company in Haiti then in New York. In 1963, it leaves it to settle in Paris in the hope to live there of its passion, the theater. But its imperfect control of French leads it to live drawings initially. Under the name of “Copi” (" poulet" into Argentinian), it enters then to Twenty , then with Bizarre . It is in this last review that with the autumn 1964, Serge Lafaurie, in the search of a STRIP CARTOONS for Nouvel Observateur , notices it.

If it then starts its collaboration with the weekly magazine of the street of Aboukir, it also draws for Hara-Kiri, Charlie Hebdo and with their Italian counterpart, Linus. Being characterized by an acute graphics and a surrealist humor, it reaches notoriety with its character of lady sitting with the large nose and the stiff hair which, solidified on its chair, monolog, or dialogs with a formless bird. According to Marilu Marini, it “created its exact opposed with this woman full with a priori who wants to remain on her chair without moving because all that can shake its convictions is for her a great danger”.

With the incomes which it draws from the drawing, it can be thus devoted to its passion in company of his friends Victor Garcia, Alejandro Jodorowsky, but also Jerome Savary which is the first, in 1964, to assemble short parts which it wrote. Jorge Lavelli takes the continuation while assembling Sainte Genevieve in her bath-tub , the Day of rêveuse in Lutèce (1966) and the homosexual one or the difficulty of being expressed (1967) where Copi plays itself a delirious transvestite. Because if he denounces the Argentinian mode as in Eva Péron (gone up to Buenos-Surfaces in 1970), he illustrates himself by his engagement at the sides of the Homosexual Face of Revolutionary Action (FHAR) which translates a bringing together between the Mao extreme left and the homosexual ones.

Companion of the figurehead of the gay movement, Guy Hocquenghem, it follows this last to Libération where, with Jean-Luc Henning, Christian Hennion or the transsexual Helene Hazera, they form as from 1973 an small group of homosexual within the drafting. Author of many parts in second half of the years 1970 and the first part of the years 1980, it dies of the continuations of the AIDS on December 14th, 1987, whereas it was in full repetition of an inappropriate Visit , whose main character is a patient of the AIDS which dies in a hospital.

Works

Novels and news

the Uruguyan , Christian Bourgois, 1973.
the ball of insane the , Christian Bourgois, 1977.
a lobster for two , Christian Bourgois, 1978.
the city of the rats , Belfond, 1979.
the life is a tango , Hallier, 1979.
the war of the fags , Albin Michel, 1982.
Virginia Woolf still struck , Persona, 1983.
International Argentina , Belfond, 1988.

Theater

a ángel para will señora it Lisca , Buenos Aires, put in scene of Copi, 1962.
Holy Genevieve in her bath-tub , the Cup-and-ball, put in scene of Jorge Lavelli, 1966.
the alligator, the , International festival of UNEF, put in scene of Jerome Savary, 1966.
the day of rêveuse a , Theater of Lutèce, put in scene of Jorge Lavelli, 1968.
Eva Peron , Theater of Sword-of-Wood, put in scene of Alfredo Arias, 1970.
the homosexual one or the difficulty of expressing , theater of the University residence, put in scene of Jorge Lavelli, 1971.
the four binoculars , the De luxe hotel, put in scene of Jorge Lavelli, 1973.
Loretta Strong , Theater of Gaité Montparnasse, put in scene of Javier Botana, 1974.
the Pyramid , the De luxe hotel, put in scene of Copi, 1975.
the world cup , Theater the Selenite, put in scene of Copi, 1975.
shade of Venceslao , Festival of the La Rochelle, put in scene of Jerome Savary, 1978.
the Tower of Defense , Théâtre Fontaine, put in scene of Claude Confortès, 1981.
the Refrigerator , Théâtre Fontaine, 1983.
the night of Mrs Lucienne , Festival of Avignon, put in scene of Jorge Lavelli, 1985.
an inappropriate visit , Theater of the Hill, put in scene of Jorge Lavelli, 1988.
staircases of the Sacred Heart , theater of Aubervilliers, put in scene of Alfredo Arias, 1990.
the homosexual one or the difficulty of expressing , put in scene of Philippe Adrien at the theater of the Storm Cartridge factory of Vincennes in 1996, then with the international festival of Sarajevo (price of the best actor: Christophe Reymond). Spectacle taken again in 1998.
the homosexual one or the difficulty of expressing , put in scene of Jean-Michel Rabeux at the theater of the Bastille, 2001.
the four binoculars , theater of the Storm, put in scene of Daisy Amias, 2000.
the tower of defense , theater of the Storm, put in scene of Christophe Reymond, 2002.
the tower of defense , put in scene of Marcial Di Fonzo Bo at the mc 93, in 2005.

Cartoons

the chickens do not have a chair , Editions Denoël, 1966.
the last living room where is caused, Éditions of the Public garden, 1973.
And me, why I do not have a banana? , Editions of the Public garden, 1975.
On the side of violated the , Editions of the Public garden, 1976.
the old whores , Editions of the Public garden, 1977.
Kang , Dargaud, 1984.
fantastic Le Monde of the gays , Glénat, 1986.
the sitted woman , Stock, 2002.
One white paper , Buchet-Manor house, 2002.

Others

Copi , texts gathered by Jorge Damonte, Christian Bourgois, 1990.

See too

Georges Wolinski

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