Born in Buenos Aires in 1939, Raúl Damonte Botana derived his sobriquet Copi from a nickname his grandmother gave him, “copito de nieve,” or “little snowflake.” At six, he went into exile with his family in Uruguay and eventually settled in Paris, where he was a cartoonist, performer, playwright, and novelist until his death from an AIDS-related illness in 1987. Kit Schluter is the author of Cartoons (City Lights, 2024) and has recently translated books from the French and Spanish by Copi, bruno darío, Rafael Bernal, Mario Levrero, Marcel Schwob, Olivia Tapiero, and Enrique Vila-Matas. He lives in Mexico City.César Aira was born in Coronel Pringles, Argentina in 1949, and has lived in Buenos Aires since 1967. He won the 2021 Formentor Prize and was shortlisted for the 2015 International Booker Prize.

"The greatest miniaturist of our age, Copi was a man of the Baroque, a Shakespeare, magically reincarnated in gay Paris."

Born in Buenos Aires in 1939, Raúl Damonte Botana derived his sobriquet Copi from a nickname his grandmother gave him, “copito de nieve,” or “little snowflake.” At six, he went into exile with his family in Uruguay and eventually settled in Paris, where he was a cartoonist, performer, playwright, and novelist until his death from an AIDS-related illness in 1987. Kit Schluter is the author of Cartoons (City Lights, 2024) and has recently translated books from the French and Spanish by Copi, bruno darío, Rafael Bernal, Mario Levrero, Marcel Schwob, Olivia Tapiero, and Enrique Vila-Matas. He lives in Mexico City.César Aira was born in Coronel Pringles, Argentina in 1949, and has lived in Buenos Aires since 1967. He won the 2021 Formentor Prize and was shortlisted for the 2015 International Booker Prize.

"The greatest miniaturist of our age, Copi was a man of the Baroque, a Shakespeare, magically reincarnated in gay Paris."

Born in Buenos Aires in 1939, Raúl Damonte Botana derived his sobriquet Copi from a nickname his grandmother gave him, “copito de nieve,” or “little snowflake.” At six, he went into exile with his family in Uruguay and eventually settled in Paris, where he was a cartoonist, performer, playwright, and novelist until his death from an AIDS-related illness in 1987. Kit Schluter is the author of Cartoons (City Lights, 2024) and has recently translated books from the French and Spanish by Copi, bruno darío, Rafael Bernal, Mario Levrero, Marcel Schwob, Olivia Tapiero, and Enrique Vila-Matas. He lives in Mexico City.César Aira was born in Coronel Pringles, Argentina in 1949, and has lived in Buenos Aires since 1967. He won the 2021 Formentor Prize and was shortlisted for the 2015 International Booker Prize.

"The greatest miniaturist of our age, Copi was a man of the Baroque, a Shakespeare, magically reincarnated in gay Paris."