# Howard Buten

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**Howard Buten** (July 28, 1950 – January 3, 2025) was an American author living in France. He was also a psychologist, a clown, and a violin player. Buten was the author of five novels, the first of which, entitled *When I Was Five I Killed Myself*, was published in 1981 and turned into a film under its French title *[Quand j'avais cinq ans je m'ai tué](/source/Quand_j'avais_cinq_ans_je_m'ai_tu%C3%A9)* in 1994.

## Biography

Buten was born in [Detroit, Michigan](/source/Detroit), on July 28, 1950. As a young man, Buten encountered a child with [autism](/source/Autism) and this sparked a lifelong interest in the disorder. He worked on autism as a researcher, clinical psychologist, therapist, and founder of a clinic for the autistic in Paris, France.

Buten was also a theatrical clown (graduate of [Ringling Bros](/source/Ringling_Bros)) with the stage name Buffo, who is quite well known in France.[1] He got his start in acting at a very young age, re-enacting scenes from his favorite stories, along with his childhood friends and neighbors.

Buten's first and best known novel, *When I Was Five I Killed Myself*, is largely unknown in his home country, but has sold more than a million copies in France. He was made Chevalier of the [Ordre des Arts et des Lettres](/source/Ordre_des_Arts_et_des_Lettres), a prominent literary honor, in 1991.

Howard Buten played a significant role in the Koschise Project, a French study center dedicated to the communication of autistic children. Founded in collaboration with [Romain Philippe Pomedio](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romain_Philippe_Pomedio), Koschise focuses on developing imitation techniques based on mirror neurons to promote empathy in children with autism[2][3]

Buten died on January 3, 2025, at the age of 74.[4]

## Works

- *[When I Was Five I Killed Myself](/source/When_I_Was_Five_I_Killed_Myself_(novel))* (also published under the title *Burt*) (1981)
- *[Le Cœur sous le rouleau compresseur](/source/Le_C%C5%93ur_sous_le_rouleau_compresseur)* (1984)
- **Monsieur Butterfly** (1987)
- **Il faudra bien te couvrir...** (1989)
- **Histoire de Rofo, clown** (1991)
- **C'était mieux avant** (1994)
- **Ces enfants qui ne viennent pas d'une autre planète** (1995)
- **Quand est-ce qu'on arrive?** (2000)
- **Il y a quelqu'un là-dedans, des autismes** (2003)
- **Buffo par Buten** (2005)
- *Through the Glass Wall: Journeys Into the Closed-Off Worlds of the Autistic* (Bantam, 2004)
- *I Understand that If Not Completely Satisfied I Will Be Issued a Full Refund* (1996)

## References

1. [*Buffo, Buten & Howard*](http://www.artfilm.ch/buffo-buten-howard&lang=en) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140408224043/http://www.artfilm.ch/buffo-buten-howard%26lang%3Den) 2014-04-08 at the Wayback Machine, documentary 2009, Swissfilms, at artfilm.ch

1. Levisalles, Natalie. ["Howard Buten Entrée des autistes."](https://www.liberation.fr/portrait/1996/07/15/howard-buten-46-ans-psychologue-et-ecrivain-rendu-celebre-par-quand-j-avais-cinq-ans-je-m-ai-tue-n-a_177074/) (in French). *Libération*. Retrieved 2025-01-10.

1. ["Les chants d'Ulysse, Académie internationale"](https://theatreledome.saumurvaldeloire.fr/la-saison/les-chants-d-ulysse-academie-internationale) (in fr-fr). *theatreledome.saumurvaldeloire.fr*. Retrieved 2025-01-10.

1. ["Howard Buten, alias le clown Buffo, auteur de « Quand j'avais cinq ans, je m'ai tué », est mort"](https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2025/01/05/quand-j-avais-cinq-ans-je-m-ai-tue-deces-d-howard-buten-alias-le-clown-buffo_6481848_3382.html). Le Monde. 5 January 2025. Retrieved 5 January 2025.

## External links

- [Buffo Buten](http://www.buffo-buten.com/)
- [Howard Buten](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0124731/) at IMDb

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