Henfil
Encyclopedia
Henrique de Souza Filho (5 February 1944 – 4 January 1988), commonly known as Henfil, was a Brazil
ian cartoonist, caricaturist, journalist and writer, born in Ribeirão das Neves
, Minas Gerais
. He was a contributor to the satirical newspaper “O Pasquim”, which began publication in response to press censorship in Brazil following the military crackdown of December, 1968. In 1970 he published the comic book “Os Fradinhos” (The Friars), starring his most acclaimed characters. Henfil also worked in theater, film, television and literature, but political activism was his hallmark, creating fictional characters that made acerbic criticisms of the Brazilian political institutions of the time. A haemophiliac, Henfil contracted AIDS
in a blood transfusion and died as a result of the disease in Rio de Janeiro
.
His most famous characters were:
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian cartoonist, caricaturist, journalist and writer, born in Ribeirão das Neves
Ribeirão das Neves
Ribeirão das Neves is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Belo Horizonte.-See also:...
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
. He was a contributor to the satirical newspaper “O Pasquim”, which began publication in response to press censorship in Brazil following the military crackdown of December, 1968. In 1970 he published the comic book “Os Fradinhos” (The Friars), starring his most acclaimed characters. Henfil also worked in theater, film, television and literature, but political activism was his hallmark, creating fictional characters that made acerbic criticisms of the Brazilian political institutions of the time. A haemophiliac, Henfil contracted AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in a blood transfusion and died as a result of the disease in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
His most famous characters were:
- FRADIM BAIXIM – (name translates roughly as "Friar Meanie") a short friar with a sadistic sense of humor. His gesture "Top! Top!" made him Henfil’s most famous creation.
- FRADIM CUMPRIDO – (translates as "Friar Upright") a skinny friar, partner and victim of Baixim
- GRAÚNA – a caatingaCaatingaCaatinga is a type of vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in the northeastern part of Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation"...
bird and ever critic of the “wonderful south” - CAPITÃO ZEFERINO – a northeaster “cangaceiroCangaçoCangaço is the name given to a form of "social banditry" in the Northeast of Brazil in late 19th and early 20th centuries. This region of Brazil is known for its aridness and hardships, and in a form of reaction against the domination of the land owners and the government, many men and women...
” - BODE FRANCISCO ORELANA - intellectual and defender of the status quoStatus quoStatu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
.