René Goscinny was a French comic book writer, born in Paris in 1926, to a Polish-Jewish family. His parents, Stanislaw Simkha Goscinny and Anna "Hanna" Beresniak-Goscinna, had migrated to France from the Russian Empire before World War I. Goscinny's family name, "Goscinny", means "hospitable" in Polish.
Goscinny's parents met in Paris, where they married in 1919. René was the second son, and he received French citizenship at birth. In 1928, the family moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Stanislaw found employment. Goscinny spent his childhood in Buenos Aires, attending French-speaking schools, and developed a passion for reading illustrated stories and drawing.
Tragedy struck in 1943 when Goscinny's father suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died. René was forced to quit school and find a job, working as an assistant accountant and later as an illustrator in an advertising agency. In 1945, he migrated to New York City, United States, to join his older brother, but returned to France in 1946 for his mandatory military service.
After his military service, Goscinny worked in various small studios in New York City, befriending several comics writers and artists, including Joseph Gillain, Maurice De Bevere, Will Elder, Jack Davis, and Harvey Kurtzman. In 1951, he was hired by Georges Troisfontaines to head the Paris office of the "World Press" agency, where he met and befriended Albert Uderzo.
Goscinny and Uderzo collaborated on several comics works, including the comedy-adventure series "Jehan Pistolet". During the 1950s, Goscinny worked with various writers and artists, creating characters like "Le Petit Nicolas" and "Oumpah-pah", and taking over the writing of older series like "Lucky Luke".
In 1959, Goscinny and Uderzo co-created the popular series "Asterix", which mixed historical fiction with fantasy elements and satire. The series became one of the most popular European comics, and Goscinny continued writing it until his death. In the 1960s, Goscinny became one of the most prolific writers of French comics, collaborating with Jean Tabary on the series "Iznogoud".
In 1967, Goscinny married Gilberte Pollaro-Millo, and in 1968, they had a daughter, Anne Goscinny, who would grow up to become a professional writer. Goscinny died in 1977, at the age of 51, during a routine stress test. His legacy remains with his most popular series, including "Asterix", "Iznogoud", "Lucky Luke", and "Le Petit Nicolas", which have all received several adaptations.
