Henrique Filho (Henfil)

By LatAm ARTE

Henfil (1944-1988) was a Brazilian cartoonist, journalist and writer. He became known for the caricatures of him published in the newspaper “O Pasquim” and “Fradim”. Henfil was born in the city of Ribeirão das Neves, in Minas Gerais, on February 5, 1944. Henfil and his two brothers, the sociologist Betinho and the musician Chico Mário, inherited hemophilia from his mother, a disorder that prevents blood from clotting, making the patient susceptible to bleeding. Henfil studied Sociology at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, but did not complete the course. He worked as a janitor at an advertising agency. He specialized in illustration and comic production. Henfil began his career as an illustrator in 1964, when he was invited by the editor and writer Robert Dummond to work for the magazine "Alterosa" in Belo Horizonte. The following year he had his political caricatures published in the newspaper “Diário de Minas”. In 1967 he created sports caricatures for the "Jornal de Sports" in Rio de Janeiro. He worked for the magazines “Realidade”, “Visão”, “Placar” and “O Cruzeiro”. In 1969 he began to collaborate with "Jornal do Brasil" and "Pasquim", a newspaper that confronted the Brazilian military regime. In 1970, at the height of the military dictatorship, he created the magazine "Fradim", where he published his characters whose characteristic was critical and satirical humor.