Mafalda is without a doubt the most famous person in Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known to all as Quino and that these days he is in Oviedo to receive the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities, one of the least discussed in recent times given the affection that everyone has for both the graphic humorist, as well as his work and characters that according to the jury of the Awards provide enormous educational value.
Next Friday, Quino will collect his well-deserved Prize and with him, we will all see Mafalda, that girl who was 6 years old in 1964 and who is still the same age today but who nevertheless already knows how to emphasize nuance that she is a woman who likes the Beatles, democracy, children's rights and peace. In addition, despite his young age, he also hates soup, weapons, war and James Bond with great success.
Born in Mendoza (Argentina) on July 17, 1932, although the official records show the date of August 17, Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, was nicknamed Quino shortly after birth, unlike what many believe to distinguish him from his uncle Joaquín Tejón, a well-known painter and graphic designer. In it he found his vocation when he was only 3 years old, as he tells himself on numerous occasions.
At the age of 13, Quino enrolled in the School of Fine Arts, but he was looking for something else and "tired of drawing amphoras and plasters" he abandons her and decides to make a living on his own, becoming a cartoonist of humorous comics.
Determined to fulfill his dream, he moved to Buenos Aires when he turned 18, where he began looking for a publisher to publish his comics. Three years of great economic hardship must have passed for its first publication. Quino himself remembers that event saying; "The day I published my first page I had the happiest moment of my life".
His popularity began to grow and he would never suffer economic hardships again, but his worldwide fame did not arrive until 1963, when he began to work for an agency called Anges Publicidad, which was looking at that time for a cartoonist to create a comic strip " mixture of Blondie and Peanuts ”with the aim of publicizing the launch of a line of appliances called Mansfield. Due to the brand's name, the characters in the cartoon must begin with the letter "M". From this curious coincidence, Mafalda was born.
The young girl with black hair who hates soup appears for the first time in the Buenos Aires weekly Primera Plana on September 29, 1964. His unstoppable success comes from the hand of El Mundo that hires Quino to publish 6 comic strips a week in which Mafalda is undoubtedly the star character, who becomes known worldwide.
Below you can see the first graphic strip published about Mafalda (29-09-1964):
From here on, success for Quino is unstoppable at the hands of Mafalda. An example of this is the first book that brings together the strips of the little girl published by Jorge Álvarez Editor and that sees the light in Argentina in the face of Christmas and that its circulation of 5.000 copies is exhausted in just two days.
Another example that left Quino himself amazed is the book published in Italy in 1969; "Mafalda the Contestataria" which is presented and directed by none other than Umberto Eco.
A few years later, specifically On June 25, 1973, Quino made the decision to stop drawing strips in which Mafalda was the protagonist. In his own words because he no longer feels the need to use the expressive structure of the strips in sequence.
The decision does not take almost anyone by surprise as he had commented on his intentions on several occasions, but it puzzles many and saddens almost everyone. The decision has been firm to this day, although the rebellious little girl continues to attract great interest around the world and her books, calendars and other items sell in dizzying numbers.
Quino has never stopped working despite his "divorce" that never came to fruition as they are still inseparable, and he continued to draw his popular graphic strips in various newspapers, which were later grouped into interesting books that sell in the thousands.
Now Quino and why not, Mafalda, have their work recognized by receiving the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities, which the jury has said has been awarded based on;
Quino's work carries enormous educational value and has been translated into many languages, revealing its universal dimension. His characters transcend any geography, age and social condition
Friday will be the delivery of the Prince of Asturias Award, but Quino is already in Oviedo attending various events in schools or institutions, without also being as rebellious as Mafalda and wasting kindness, which makes us all still love this comedian a little more graphic.
In addition, The Asturian city has granted Mafalda a privileged place in the center and where it is causing a real furor these days. And it is that a photograph with Mafalda, without her protesting over and over again, is not obtained every day.
More information - quino.com.ar