Icon of Brazilian comics and creator of Menino Maluquinho, Ziraldo died last Saturday afternoon (06), aged 91.
The cartoonist died in his sleep at his home in Rio de Janeiro. He had been in poor health since suffering a stroke in 2018.
Ziraldo's wake is being held this Sunday (07), at the headquarters of the Museum of Modern Art (MAM), in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in a ceremony open to the public.
The cartoonist, designer and writer left a broad legacy, which includes generally witty and reflective phrases. Encouraging reading was one of the topics he most liked to address.
Remember Ziraldo’s memorable phrases:
Reading is more important than studying
The phrase was said in 2012, when Estadão. “We are still reading out of duty – children – and not for pleasure. We have to warn teachers: no one has to get a good grade because they read, no one has to be rewarded because they read. Reading is already the reward. Enjoying reading, the distinction”, said the cartoonist.
The book is food for the soul
Or also in the version: “Book: genre of first necessity. These phrases are on the list of words used by Ziraldo to declare his love for books.
“Menino Maluquinho is the typical Brazilian kid, who has freedom, is bold, intelligent, clever. He’s the kid I wish I had been.”
This is how Ziraldo referred to his most famous creation.
Adults live longing for the life they once had. Child misses the future
Always reflective in his comments regarding the passage of time, Ziraldo wrote this sentence in “O Pensamento Vivo do Menino Maluquinho”.
Long after being a “kid”, he talked about getting older. “Now I’m not looking for anything anymore (laughs). I'm old, how impressive! It’s like seeing a Santa Claus ad and thinking, “Wow, Christmas is here!” Turning 80 is like this: like Christmas arriving suddenly. I keep reminding myself all the time that I’m 80 years old, so I don’t look ridiculous,” he said, on his 80th birthday, to Estadão.
Pass the laughter around the tyrant
This is the role of the cartoonist, according to Ziraldo. He said this phrase when remembering the times he worked at Quibblera satirical newspaper of which he was the founder, and acted as political resistance to the Brazilian military dictatorship (1964-1985).
Regarding Brazil, he also stated: “Anyone who thinks that God is Brazilian may be right: he moved”.
Source: CNN Brasil
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