César Civita
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César Civita, born Cesare Civita (September 4, 1905 — April 9, 2005) was an American-
Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish ( masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines ...
publisher, who in 1936 became general manager of
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy. History The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In ...
in Italy. Following passage of the Race Laws in 1938, he emigrated with his family to New York to escape the discriminatory restrictions since they were at risk for being
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. He moved with his family again in 1941 to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...
, becoming
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's representative in Argentina and founding Editorial Abril that year. By the 1960s, his publishing house produced nine magazines. His brother
Victor Civita Victor Civita (February 9, 1907 - August 24, 1990) was an Italian-Brazilian journalist and publisher. His family emigrated from Italy to New York in 1938 following passage of the Race Law. In 1949 Civita relocated his family to Brazil, where he e ...
emigrated to Brazil, where he established
Editora Abril Editora Abril is a major Brazilian publisher and printing company and one of the biggest media holdings in Latin America. The company was founded in 1950 by Victor Civita in São Paulo and is now part of Grupo Abril. Civita had initially founded h ...
in
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
in 1949. It developed into
Grupo Abril Grupo Abril (simply also known as Abril) is a Brazilian media conglomerate headquartered in São Paulo. The company is the holding company of Editora Abril, which publishes the weekly newsmagazine ''Veja.'' History and profile Victor Civita, an ...
, one of the largest publishing houses in the country.


Early life and education

He was born Cesare Civita in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
to
Italian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Italy spans more than two thousand years to the present. The Jewish presence in Italy dates to the pre-Christian Roman period and has continued, despite periods of extreme persecution and expulsions, until the present ...
parents Vittoria Carpi, an
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...
singer, and Carlo Civita, a businessman. His younger brothers were Vittorio and Arturo."Victor Civita"
, Grupo Abril
The family returned to
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4  ...
, where the boys were raised and went to school. As a young man, Cesare developed an early interest in publishing, particularly related to literature and graphic art. He also got involved in cinema, producing a film.


Career

In 1936 Civita was named general manager of the prestigious publishing house,
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy. History The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In ...
. He and
Cesare Zavattini Cesare Zavattini (20 September 1902 – 13 October 1989) was an Italian screenwriter and one of the first theorists and proponents of the Neorealist movement in Italian cinema. Biography Born in Luzzara near Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, ...
redesigned Pitigrilli's
literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evalu ...
, ''Grandi Firme'', incorporating cover art by Gino Boccasile and attracting the magazine its highest circulation.Fondazione Franco Fossati: César Civita, 2005
Civita obtained an exclusive license to publish
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's American
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...
s in Italy. He also ventured into
cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...
, producing a documentary that earned an award at the
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
. After the
Fascist Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
regime enacted the 1938 Race Laws, Civita chose to emigrate to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
with his wife, Mina, and their three children. He became a
talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or s ...
for
illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...
s. Among others, he represented
Saul Steinberg Saul Steinberg (June 15, 1914 – May 12, 1999) was a Romanian-American artist, best known for his work for ''The New Yorker'', most notably '' View of the World from 9th Avenue''. He described himself as "a writer who draws". Biography St ...
, for whom Civita sold portfolios to '' Harper's Bazaar'' and ''
Life Magazine ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...
.'' This enabled him to secure a
United States visa The visa policy of the United States consists of the requirements for foreign nationals to travel to, enter, and remain in the United States. Visitors to the United States must obtain a visa from one of the U.S. diplomatic missions unless they ...
for the Jewish artist.


In Argentina

In 1941, Civita relocated with his family to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...
and became Disney's representative in
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
. He also established the Editorial Abril publishing house.''La Nación'': Murió César Civita, El Gran Creador de la Editorial Abril
Disney traveled to Argentina while preparing his upcoming
animated film Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
, ''
Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American animated drama film directed by David Hand (supervising a team of sequence directors), produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1923 book '' Bambi, a Life in the Woods'' by Austrian author and hunter Felix Sal ...
'', and modeled its forest backdrop after
Los Arrayanes National Park Los Arrayanes National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes) is a national park of Argentina with an area of . It covers the Quetrihué Peninsula on the shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake in the province of Neuquén, from Villa la Angostura. ...
. Civita diversified Editorial Abril after 1945, hiring a number of talented illustrators and cartoonists from both Argentina and Italy, among them
Hugo Pratt Ugo Eugenio Prat, better known as Hugo Pratt (15 June 1927 – 20 August 1995), was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as '' Corto Maltese''. He was ind ...
, Mario Faustinelli, Alberto Ongaro, Ivo Pavone,
Héctor Oesterheld Hector () is an English, French, Scottish, and Spanish given name. The name is derived from the name of Hektor, a legendary Trojan champion who was killed by the Greek Achilles. The name ''Hektor'' is probably derived from the Greek ''ékhein'' ...
,
Alberto Breccia Alberto Breccia (April 15, 1919 – November 10, 1993) was an Uruguayan-born Argentine artist and cartoonist. A gifted penciller and inker, Breccia is one of the most celebrated and famous comics/Historieta creators in the world, and specially pro ...
,
Dino Battaglia Dino Battaglia (1 August 1923 – 4 October 1983) was an Italian comic artist, noted for a distinctive and expressive style, best known for his visual adaptations of classic novels. In 1946 Dino Battaglia became part of the so-called Group of Ven ...
, and Paul Campani. César's younger brother,
Victor Civita Victor Civita (February 9, 1907 - August 24, 1990) was an Italian-Brazilian journalist and publisher. His family emigrated from Italy to New York in 1938 following passage of the Race Law. In 1949 Civita relocated his family to Brazil, where he e ...
, established
Editora Abril Editora Abril is a major Brazilian publisher and printing company and one of the biggest media holdings in Latin America. The company was founded in 1950 by Victor Civita in São Paulo and is now part of Grupo Abril. Civita had initially founded h ...
in
São Paulo, Brazil SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U. ...
in 1949, which developed into one of the largest publishing houses (
Grupo Abril Grupo Abril (simply also known as Abril) is a Brazilian media conglomerate headquartered in São Paulo. The company is the holding company of Editora Abril, which publishes the weekly newsmagazine ''Veja.'' History and profile Victor Civita, an ...
) in Brazil. Smaller than its Brazilian counterpart, Editorial Abril published nine magazines by the 1960s, including ''Parabrisas'' (for auto enthusiasts), ''Corsa'' (auto sports), ''Claudia'' (a women's magazine), ''Adán'' (for men), ''Panorama'' (general interest), and ''Siete Dias Ilustrados'' (news), as well as the French comic series, ''
Asterix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a '' bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Repub ...
'', and others. Some of the most celebrated figures in Argentine journalism worked for Abril at the time, including illustrator
Hugo Pratt Ugo Eugenio Prat, better known as Hugo Pratt (15 June 1927 – 20 August 1995), was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as '' Corto Maltese''. He was ind ...
, photographer
Grete Stern Grete Stern (9 May 1904 – 24 December 1999) was a German-Argentine photographer. With her husband Horacio Coppola, she helped modernize the visual arts in Argentina, and presented the first exhibition of modern photographic art in Buenos Aires ...
, sociologist
Gino Germani Gino may refer to: * Gino (given name) * Gino (surname) * ''Gino'' (film), a 1993 Australian film * ''Gino the Chicken'', Italian TV series See also * *Geno (disambiguation) *Gino's (disambiguation) Gino's may refer to: * Gino's East, a Chicag ...
, writers
Rodolfo Walsh Rodolfo Jorge Walsh (January 9, 1927 – March 25, 1977) was an Argentine writer and journalist of Irish descent, considered the founder of investigative journalism. He is most famous for his '' Open Letter from a Writer to the Military Junta'', w ...
, Francisco Urondo and
Juan Gelman Juan Gelman (3 May 1930 – 14 January 2014) was an Argentine poet. He published more than twenty books of poetry between 1956 and his death in early 2014. He was a naturalized citizen of Mexico, country where he arrived as a political exile of th ...
, and poet
Miguel Ángel Bustos Miguel Angel Ramón Bustos (Buenos Aires, August 31, 1932 – Buenos Aires, June 20, 1976) was an Argentine poet, journalist and Art, plastic artist. He was kidnapped by the National Reorganization Process, Argentine military dictatorship on May ...
."Lo de siempre"
''Clarín'':
Civita was joined in the enterprise by numerous family members, including his wife, Mina (who edited ''Claudia''). Their daughter Adriana became the company's chief correspondent during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. Civita and his wife separated. In 1972 Civita purchased stock in
Papel Prensa Papel Prensa S.A. is an Argentina, Argentine manufacturing company, being the largest producer of newsprint in the country. The company furnishes 58% of the local market in the staple. The public–private partnership became the focus of one of a s ...
; the public-private newsprint manufacturer was established by the regime. He and Editorial Abril became its principal private stockholders.''Presidencia de la Nación''. Papel Presa: La Verdad
Following a change in government and return of Juan Perón to the presidency in 1973, his Minister of Finance,
José Ber Gelbard José Ber Gelbard (14 April 1917 4 October 1977), was a Polish-born Argentine activist and politician, and a member of the Argentine Communist Party. He also helped organize the ''Confederación General Económica'' (CGE), made up of small and m ...
, imposed regulations restricting imported machinery. Civita sold his stake in Papel Prensa to financier David Graiver that year. Civita, who never enjoyed good relations with
Peronism Peronism, also called justicialism,. The Justicialist Party is the main Peronist party in Argentina, it derives its name from the concept of social justice., name=, group= is an Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of ...
, came under pressure partly because of the numerous left-wing writers he employed. Pressed on the subject, he asserted that "the Abril publishing house is not against anyone, except
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
s and
Fascist Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
s." Civita's attempt to keep balance earned the enmity of the
Argentine Anticommunist Alliance The Argentine Anticommunist Alliance ( es, Alianza Anticomunista Argentina, links=no, usually known as Triple A or AAA) was an Argentine Peronist political action group operated by a sector of the Federal Police and the Argentine Armed Forces, ...
, and he was the target of numerous death threats, and a kidnapping attempt. In 1975, a commando attack by helicopter fired on his 18th-story
Belgrano Belgrano may refer to: People * Joaquín Belgrano (1773–1848), an Argentine patriot * José Denis Belgrano (1844–1917), Spanish painter * Joseph Belgrano (1762–1823), Argentine military officer and politician, brother of Manuel * Manuel Belg ...
apartment. He and his family joined his brother Victor in São Paulo, Brazil. Though the publishing house's best-selling title, ''Panorama'', closed in December 1975, Editorial Abril continued to operate. It was sold in 1982 to a partnership between Celulosa Argentina and
Rizzoli Editores Rizzoli is an Italian surname. People *Achilles Rizzoli (1896–1981), an American artist * Angelo Rizzoli (1889–1970), an Italian publisher ** RCS MediaGroup, formerly "A. Rizzoli & C." and "Rizzoli Editore", a publishing company founded by Ang ...
.Lanata, Jorge. ''Argentinos: Tomo II''. Ediciones B Argentina, 2003.
Civita lived in Brazil and
Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
for a number of years, and returned to Argentina after democratic government was restored following the years of the
Dirty War The Dirty War ( es, Guerra sucia) is the name used by the military junta or civic-military dictatorship of Argentina ( es, dictadura cívico-militar de Argentina, links=no) for the period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983 ...
. He died in Buenos Aires in 2005, at age 99.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Civita, Cesar 1905 births 2005 deaths People from Buenos Aires Businesspeople from New York City American people of Italian-Jewish descent Argentine Jews Argentine magazine publishers (people) Argentine people of Italian-Jewish descent Italian emigrants to Argentina Italian publishers (people) Argentine magazine founders Civita family 20th-century American businesspeople American emigrants to Italy