City of Rats
Published on 2. April 2026
Book
Hardback
160 pages
978-1-5299-5152-3 (ISBN)
Description
Welcome to the gutters of 1970s Paris - and the anarchic, darkly comic world of City of Rats.
When pet rat Gouri finds himself locked out of his owner's apartment, he has no choice but to strike out alone onto the pavements of Paris.
But what begins as a strange and marvellous bedtime story - Gouri and his new friend Raka selling flour-coated worms to pigeons for spare change - soon spirals into an exhilarating whirlwind of murder, sex, unionised hamsters, courtroom drama, and, finally, Armageddon.
Told through a series of letters from Gouri to Argentinian playwright Copi, City of Rats channels Copi's lifelong fascination with society's outcasts-queer people, immigrants, the homeless, and criminals-into a fiercely imaginative, unflinchingly provocative tale of a world hurtling into madness.
TRANSLATED BY KIT SCHLUTER; WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY CESAR AIRA
'Copi is the sassiest, most decadent, poised, unpredictable, violent, galling, and marvellous of any author in the past quarter century' Charlie Hebdo
When pet rat Gouri finds himself locked out of his owner's apartment, he has no choice but to strike out alone onto the pavements of Paris.
But what begins as a strange and marvellous bedtime story - Gouri and his new friend Raka selling flour-coated worms to pigeons for spare change - soon spirals into an exhilarating whirlwind of murder, sex, unionised hamsters, courtroom drama, and, finally, Armageddon.
Told through a series of letters from Gouri to Argentinian playwright Copi, City of Rats channels Copi's lifelong fascination with society's outcasts-queer people, immigrants, the homeless, and criminals-into a fiercely imaginative, unflinchingly provocative tale of a world hurtling into madness.
TRANSLATED BY KIT SCHLUTER; WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY CESAR AIRA
'Copi is the sassiest, most decadent, poised, unpredictable, violent, galling, and marvellous of any author in the past quarter century' Charlie Hebdo
Reviews / Votes
The greatest miniaturist of our age... Copi was a man of the Baroque, a Shakespeare, magically reincarnated in gay Paris -- Cesar AiraMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 205 mm
Width: 136 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
235 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5299-5152-3 (9781529951523)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2026
Vintage Digital
€10.99
Available for download
Persons
Copi (Author)
Born in Buenos Aires in 1939, Raul Damonte Botana derived his sobriquet COPI from a nickname his grandmother gave him, "copita de nieve," or "little snowflake." At 17, he went into exile in Haiti, Uruguay, and New York before finally settling in Paris, where he was a cartoonist, performer, playwright, and novelist. Copi co-founded the Panic movement with Alejandro Jodorowski and wrote a nationally syndicated comic strip. He died of an AIDS-related illness in 1987.
Born in Buenos Aires in 1939, Raul Damonte Botana derived his sobriquet COPI from a nickname his grandmother gave him, "copita de nieve," or "little snowflake." At 17, he went into exile in Haiti, Uruguay, and New York before finally settling in Paris, where he was a cartoonist, performer, playwright, and novelist. Copi co-founded the Panic movement with Alejandro Jodorowski and wrote a nationally syndicated comic strip. He died of an AIDS-related illness in 1987.