Héctor Germán Oesterheld
Encyclopedia
Héctor Germán Oesterheld (born July 23, 1919, disappeared and presumed dead 1977), also known as his common abbreviation HGO, was an Argentine
journalist
and writer
of graphic novels and comics
who has come to be celebrated as a master in his field.
to a German
father and a Basque
mother. His early studies were in geology
, which has been said to contribute to his acuity as a science fiction writer. He began his journalistic career in the early 1940s. His first work appeared in the daily La Prensa
newspaper and then at the publishing house Codex.
He then moved over to Abril publishers, where he began his extensive career as a comics writer. Soon after, he married Elsa Sánchez. Their first daughter, Estela, was born in 1952, Diana a year later, Beatriz in 1955 and Marina in 1957. Oesterheld was befriended by a group of postwar Italian
comic writers, including Mario Faustinelli
, Hugo Pratt
, Ivo Pavone, and Dino Battaglia
, also known as the Venice Group. Together these artists and writers became part of what is known as the Golden Age of Argentine comics
, which merged into an international scene of artists and writers whose works were published worldwide.
In 1957 he founded Ediciones Frontera, together with his brother Jorge, and went on to publish various comic magazines, including Hora Cero Semanal (weekly), Hora Cero Mensual (monthly), and Frontera Mensual (monthly). In 1958 he started writing El Eternauta
, probably his most popular and critically acclaimed work. The strip, with artwork by Francisco Solano López told the story of his own meeting with a time traveler, who had already lived over 100 lives and has journeyed to the past to warn the protagonist of a future catastrophe. The strip was published in Hora Cero over 106 weekly episodes and was a massive success. However, the publishing house closed 5 years later due to a combination of the economic crisis sweeping Argentina in the 1960s, foreign competition, and the exodus of Argentine comic artists to Europe
. He continued writing for other magazines such as Zig-Zag.
His work slowly acquired a greater political emphasis, with stories such as El Eternauta, Part II (1976), which describes a futuristic Argentina under a dictatorship; his 1968 biography of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
, a year after Che's death, was removed from circulation by the government and the originals destroyed. In 1970 he wrote a scathing critical biography of Evita Peron, dedicated to Che. In 1973 he published 450 Years of War Against Imperialism. During the military government of the 1970s, Oesterheld is believed to have joined, following his four daughters, a leftist guerrilla
group, the Montoneros
.
In 1976 he disappeared, and a year later his daughters, Diana (21), Beatriz (19), Estela (25) and Marina (18), were arrested by the Argentine armed forces
in La Plata
, and were never seen again. His daughters' husbands were also among those that vanished. One grandson, Martín, was born in captivity and recovered from the government by Oesterheld's widow, Elsa Sánchez, and raised by her. A second, Fernando, born earlier, was raised by his paternal grandparents.
Elsa Sánchez participated in the protests of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and became one of the spokeswomen for the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo
, which advocates for the return of children of the disappeared to their birth families.
When the Italian journalist Alberto Ongaro
enquired about Oesterheld's disappearance in 1979, he received the reply: "We did away with him because he wrote the most beautiful story of Ché Guevara ever done". Argentine journalist Jacobo Timmerman, in his memoir of his own captivity, Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number, recalls seeing Oesterheld across the hall in a prison in 1977. In a report to the Argentine National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons, which published its findings in 1984 entitled Nunca Más, Eduardo Arias recalls seeing Oesterheld between November 1977 and January 1978, in terrible physical condition and at the secret detention center El Vesubio, which they sardonically named "the Sheraton
".
Over a distinguished career, Oesterheld worked with some of the finest artists of his generation, including Hugo Pratt
, Alberto Breccia
, Francisco Solano López, Ivo Pavone, Dino Battaglia
, as well as Horacio Altuna
, José Massaroli
, Eugenio Zoppi, Paul Campani, Gustavo Trigo, Julio Schiaffino and others. El Eternauta
remains one of the key literary works of Argentine culture and is constantly reprinted for new audiences. His works are currently being reprinted in Argentina and around the world.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of graphic novels and comics
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
who has come to be celebrated as a master in his field.
Biography
Oesterheld was born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
to a German
Ethnic German
Ethnic Germans historically also ), also collectively referred to as the German diaspora, refers to people who are of German ethnicity. Many are not born in Europe or in the modern-day state of Germany or hold German citizenship...
father and a Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
mother. His early studies were in geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, which has been said to contribute to his acuity as a science fiction writer. He began his journalistic career in the early 1940s. His first work appeared in the daily La Prensa
La Prensa (Buenos Aires)
La Prensa is an Argentine daily newspaper.Based in Buenos Aires, it was founded on 18 October 1869 by José C. Paz. La Prensa ranked among the most widely circulated dailies in Argentina in subsequent decades, earning a reputation for conservatism and support for British interests in Argentina...
newspaper and then at the publishing house Codex.
He then moved over to Abril publishers, where he began his extensive career as a comics writer. Soon after, he married Elsa Sánchez. Their first daughter, Estela, was born in 1952, Diana a year later, Beatriz in 1955 and Marina in 1957. Oesterheld was befriended by a group of postwar Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
comic writers, including Mario Faustinelli
Mario Faustinelli
Mario Faustinelli was an Italian comic book artist and editor.Faustinelli was born in Venice in 1924. After the end of World War II, Faustinelli, along with artists Hugo Pratt, Ivo Pavone, and Dino Battaglia, moved to Argentina in search of work; they became known as the "Venice Group." In 1945...
, Hugo Pratt
Hugo Pratt
Hugo Eugenio Pratt was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as Corto Maltese...
, Ivo Pavone, and Dino Battaglia
Dino Battaglia
Dino Battaglia was an Italian comic artist, noted for a distinctive and expressive style, best known for his visual adaptations of classic novels.-Biography:...
, also known as the Venice Group. Together these artists and writers became part of what is known as the Golden Age of Argentine comics
Argentine comics
Argentine comics refers to comic strips, comic books and graphic novels created in Argentina. There is a rich history of comics in Argentina, where they are referred to as historietas.-Early years:...
, which merged into an international scene of artists and writers whose works were published worldwide.
In 1957 he founded Ediciones Frontera, together with his brother Jorge, and went on to publish various comic magazines, including Hora Cero Semanal (weekly), Hora Cero Mensual (monthly), and Frontera Mensual (monthly). In 1958 he started writing El Eternauta
El Eternauta
El Eternauta is a science fiction comic created by Argentine comic strip writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld with artwork by Francisco Solano López. It was first published in Hora Cero Semanal from 1957 to 1959....
, probably his most popular and critically acclaimed work. The strip, with artwork by Francisco Solano López told the story of his own meeting with a time traveler, who had already lived over 100 lives and has journeyed to the past to warn the protagonist of a future catastrophe. The strip was published in Hora Cero over 106 weekly episodes and was a massive success. However, the publishing house closed 5 years later due to a combination of the economic crisis sweeping Argentina in the 1960s, foreign competition, and the exodus of Argentine comic artists to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He continued writing for other magazines such as Zig-Zag.
His work slowly acquired a greater political emphasis, with stories such as El Eternauta, Part II (1976), which describes a futuristic Argentina under a dictatorship; his 1968 biography of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
, a year after Che's death, was removed from circulation by the government and the originals destroyed. In 1970 he wrote a scathing critical biography of Evita Peron, dedicated to Che. In 1973 he published 450 Years of War Against Imperialism. During the military government of the 1970s, Oesterheld is believed to have joined, following his four daughters, a leftist guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
group, the Montoneros
Montoneros
Montoneros was an Argentine Peronist urban guerrilla group, active during the 1960s and 1970s. The name is an allusion to 19th century Argentinian history. After Juan Perón's return from 18 years of exile and the 1973 Ezeiza massacre, which marked the definitive split between left and right-wing...
.
In 1976 he disappeared, and a year later his daughters, Diana (21), Beatriz (19), Estela (25) and Marina (18), were arrested by the Argentine armed forces
Military of Argentina
The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, in Spanish Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina, are controlled by the Commander-in-Chief and a civilian Minister of Defense...
in La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
, and were never seen again. His daughters' husbands were also among those that vanished. One grandson, Martín, was born in captivity and recovered from the government by Oesterheld's widow, Elsa Sánchez, and raised by her. A second, Fernando, born earlier, was raised by his paternal grandparents.
Elsa Sánchez participated in the protests of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo and became one of the spokeswomen for the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo
Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo
The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo is a human rights organisation with the aim of finding the babies stolen during the era of the Argentine dictatorship known as the "Dirty War" . Its president is Estela Barnes de Carlotto....
, which advocates for the return of children of the disappeared to their birth families.
When the Italian journalist Alberto Ongaro
Alberto Ongaro
-Biography:Born in Venice, he lived for a long time in South America and England, before returning to his birth city in 1979.A friend and collaborator of Hugo Pratt, he also worked for Il Corriere dei Piccoli...
enquired about Oesterheld's disappearance in 1979, he received the reply: "We did away with him because he wrote the most beautiful story of Ché Guevara ever done". Argentine journalist Jacobo Timmerman, in his memoir of his own captivity, Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number, recalls seeing Oesterheld across the hall in a prison in 1977. In a report to the Argentine National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons, which published its findings in 1984 entitled Nunca Más, Eduardo Arias recalls seeing Oesterheld between November 1977 and January 1978, in terrible physical condition and at the secret detention center El Vesubio, which they sardonically named "the Sheraton
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide's largest and second oldest brand . Starwood's headquarters are in White Plains, New York.-Sheraton history:...
".
Over a distinguished career, Oesterheld worked with some of the finest artists of his generation, including Hugo Pratt
Hugo Pratt
Hugo Eugenio Pratt was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as Corto Maltese...
, Alberto Breccia
Alberto Breccia
Alberto Breccia was an Uruguay-born Argentine comics artist and writer.-Biography:Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Breccia moved with his parents to Buenos Aires, Argentina when he was three years old...
, Francisco Solano López, Ivo Pavone, Dino Battaglia
Dino Battaglia
Dino Battaglia was an Italian comic artist, noted for a distinctive and expressive style, best known for his visual adaptations of classic novels.-Biography:...
, as well as Horacio Altuna
Horacio Altuna
Horacio Altuna is an Argentine comics artist.-Biography:Born in Córdoba, Altuna made his debut in the comics world in 1965 for publisher Editorial Columbia...
, José Massaroli
José Massaroli
José María Massaroli is an Argentine comic artist, born in the Ramallo Partido, Buenos Aires Province.He studied arts at the Instituto Ida with Angel Borisoff, Narciso Bayón, and Pablo Pereyra. In 1973, he published his first comic book stories in the Manuel García Ferré's magazines: Hijitus and...
, Eugenio Zoppi, Paul Campani, Gustavo Trigo, Julio Schiaffino and others. El Eternauta
El Eternauta
El Eternauta is a science fiction comic created by Argentine comic strip writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld with artwork by Francisco Solano López. It was first published in Hora Cero Semanal from 1957 to 1959....
remains one of the key literary works of Argentine culture and is constantly reprinted for new audiences. His works are currently being reprinted in Argentina and around the world.
Early period
- Alan y Crazy, artwork by Eugenio Zoppi.
- Ray Kitt, artwork by Hugo PrattHugo PrattHugo Eugenio Pratt was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as Corto Maltese...
. - Bull Rocket, artwork by Paul Campamani, Francisco Solano López, and others
- El Sargento KirkSergeant KirkSergeant Kirk, El Sargento Kirk or Sgt. Kirk, is the title and main character of a western comics series by Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt and Argentine author Héctor Germán Oesterheld.-Publication history:...
, artwork by Hugo Pratt and others - Tarpón, artwork by Daniel Haupt.
- Uma-Uma, artwork by Francisco Solano López
- Indio Suárez, artwork by Carlos Freixas and Carlos Cruz.
Ediciones Frontera
- Ticonderoga (1957), artwork by Hugo Pratt and Gisela Dexter
- Rolo, el marciano adoptivo (1957), dra artwork wing by Francisco Solano López
- Nahuel Barros (1957), artwork by Carlos Roume
- Ernie PikeErnie PikeErnie Pike is a comics series written by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and originally drawn by Hugo Pratt, featuring a World War II and Korean War reporter. It was first published in the magazine "Hora Cero" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1957. The reporter, loosely based on the real reporter Ernie...
(1957), artwork by Hugo Pratt, Francisco Solano López and others - El EternautaEl EternautaEl Eternauta is a science fiction comic created by Argentine comic strip writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld with artwork by Francisco Solano López. It was first published in Hora Cero Semanal from 1957 to 1959....
, artwork by Francisco Solano López - Cayena (1958), artwork by Daniel Haupt
- Dr. Morgue (1959), artwork by Alberto BrecciaAlberto BrecciaAlberto Breccia was an Uruguay-born Argentine comics artist and writer.-Biography:Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Breccia moved with his parents to Buenos Aires, Argentina when he was three years old...
- Buster Pike (1959), artwork by Julio Schiaffino
- Randall, artwork by Arturo del Castillo
- Lacky Piedras, artwork by Carlos Cruz
- Tipp Kenya, artwork by Carlos Roume
- Verdugo Ranch, artwork by Ivo Pavone
- Patria vieja (1958), artwork by Carlos Roume and Juan Arancio
- Hueso clavado, artwork by Ivo Pavone
- Leonero Brent, artwork by Jorge Moliterni
- Rul de luna, artwork by Francisco Solano López and Horianski
- Capitán Lázaro, artwork by Enrique Cristóbal
- Pichi, artwork by Carlos Roume
- Sherlock Time, artwork by Alberto Breccia
- Tom de la pradera, artwork by García Seijas
- Lord Crack, artwork by Hugo Pratt, Bertolini, Moliterni and Flores
- Amapola negra, artwork by Francisco Solano López
- Joe Zonda, artwork by Francisco Solano López and Julio Schiaffino
- Pereyra, taxista (1960), artwork by Leopoldo Durañona
- Mortimer, artwork by Rubén Sosa
- Doc Carson, artwork by Carlos Vogt
- Cachas de oro (1961), artwork by Carlos Vogt
- Santos Bravo, artwork by Arancio
- Historias de la ciudad grande, artwork by Leandro Sesarego, Ángel A. Fernández y García Seijas
- Paul Neutrón (1962), artwork by Schaffino.
Third period
- Capitán Caribe (1961), artwork by Dino BattagliaDino BattagliaDino Battaglia was an Italian comic artist, noted for a distinctive and expressive style, best known for his visual adaptations of classic novels.-Biography:...
- El Eternauta "remake" (1969), artwork by Alberto Breccia
- Mort CinderMort CinderMort Cinder is an Argentine comic book horror-science fiction series featuring an eponymous character, created in 1962 by the writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld and artist Alberto Breccia...
(1962), artwork by Alberto Breccia - León Loco (1963), artwork by García Seijas
- Herida Mortal (1963), artwork by Durañona.
- Lord Pampa, artwork by Francisco Solano López
- Watami, artwork by Moliterni
- Artemio, el taxista de Buenos Aires, artwork by Néstor Olivera and Pablo Zahlut
- Tres por la ley, artwork by Marchionne and José MassaroliJosé MassaroliJosé María Massaroli is an Argentine comic artist, born in the Ramallo Partido, Buenos Aires Province.He studied arts at the Instituto Ida with Angel Borisoff, Narciso Bayón, and Pablo Pereyra. In 1973, he published his first comic book stories in the Manuel García Ferré's magazines: Hijitus and...
- Argón el justiciero, artwork awing by Vogt
- Brigada Madeleine, artwork by Sierra
- Aakón, artwork by Ángel A. Fernández and José Massaroli
- Kabul de Bengala, artwork by Horacio AltunaHoracio AltunaHoracio Altuna is an Argentine comics artist.-Biography:Born in Córdoba, Altuna made his debut in the comics world in 1965 for publisher Editorial Columbia...
- Roland el Corsario, artwork by José Luis García López and others
- Marvo Luna, artwork by Francisco Solano López
- Russ Congo, artwork by Carlos Clement
- Loco Sexton, artwork by Arturo del Castillo
- La Vida del Che (1968), artwork by Enrique and Alberto Breccia, biography of Che GuevaraChe GuevaraErnesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
- La guerra de los Antartes (1970), artwork by León Napoo and Gustavo Trigo
- Evita, vida y obra de Eva Perón (1970), artwork by Alberto Breccia, a biography of Eva PerónEva PerónMaría Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to as simply Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.She was born in the village of Los Toldos in...
- 450 años de Guerra Contra el Imperialismo (1973), artwork by Leopoldo Durañona
- Nekrodamus (1975), artwork by Horacio Lalia
- Watami (1976), artwork by Jorge Moliterni
- El Eternauta II (1976), artwork by Francisco Solano López
External links
- Héctor Germán Oesterheld biography on Lambiek Comiclopedia
- Héctor Germán Oesterheld biography on Historieteca
- Héctor Germán Oesterheld biography on Henciclopedia
- NonSports trading card Oesterheld article
- Agrupación Oesterheld