El Fisgón Explained

El Fisgón
Birth Name:	Rafael Barajas Durán
Birth Date:	1 January 1956
Birth Place:	Mexico City, Mexico
Alma Mater:	National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
Awards:	National Journalism Prize for Editorial Cartooning (Mexico, 1999).

Rafael Barajas Durán, better known by his pen name Spanish; Castilian: El Fisgón ("The Rubbernecker" or "The Peeper"^[1] in Spanish) is a Mexican cartoonist and illustrator who received the 1999 National Journalism Prize of Mexico for Editorial Cartooning.^[2]

The son of a schoolteacher and a psychoanalyst, Barajas was born on 1 January 1956 in Mexico City and graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in Architecture. At the age of 20 he decided to become a cartoonist and eventually sent collaborations to the Sunday supplement of Unomásuno (1981–1984), designed covers for Nexos magazine (1984–1986) and received a Guggenheim Fellowship (2003) to study dissenting political cartoonists in Mexico who worked between 1872 and 1910.^[3]

According to himself, Barajas is also a committed leftist activist who has led campaigns to support the Zapatista rebels in Chiapas and regularly promote student involvement in politics. He has co-directed satirical magazines such as Spanish; Castilian: El Chahuistle (1994–1997) and Spanish; Castilian: El Chamuco y los hijos del Averno (1997–2000) and, since 1984, he contributes regularly to Spanish; Castilian: [[La Jornada]], a left-leaning newspaper published in the Mexican capital.

Books

• Spanish; Castilian: Sobras escogidas ("Selected Leftovers", 1987).
• Spanish; Castilian: Me lleva el TLC ("I am being carried away by NAFTA", 1993).
• Spanish; Castilian: El sexenio me da risa ("The Six-Years Term Makes Me Laugh", 1994).^[4]
• Spanish; Castilian: Cómo sobrevivir al neoliberalismo sin dejar de ser mexicano ("How to Survive Neoliberalism Without Failing To Be Mexican", 1996).
• Spanish; Castilian: Hacia un despiporre global de excelencia y calidad ("Towards a Global Mishmash of Excellence and Quality", 2002).
• Spanish; Castilian: La historia de un país en caricatura ("A Country's History in Cartoons", 2000).
• Spanish; Castilian: El país de El Ahuizote ("El Ahuizote’s Country", 2005).
• Spanish; Castilian: El país del Llorón de Icamole ("Crier of Icamole’s Country", 2007).
• Spanish; Castilian: Cómo triunfar en la globalización (published in English as "How to Succeed at Globalization: A Primer for Roadside Vendors", 2005).
• Spanish; Castilian: La bola de la Independencia ("The Mob of Independence", 2008).
• Spanish; Castilian: Cómo la hacen de Pemex (2008).
• Spanish; Castilian: Sólo me río cuando me duele ("I Only Cry When It Hurts", 2009).
• Spanish; Castilian: Dulce venganza ("Sweet Vendetta", 2009).
• Spanish; Castilian: La vendedora de nubes ("The Clouds Seller", 2009, with Elena Poniatowska).

Notes and References

1. News: Thompson. Ginger. His Mood Seems Mellow; His Cartoons Are Not. 10 May 2014. New York Times. 18 May 2002.
2. Web site: Historia de "Premio Nacional de Periodismo e Información" (1975–2001) . History of the National Prize for Journalism and Information (1975–2001) . Consejo Ciudadano del Premio Nacional de Periodismo, A.C. . 11 May 2014 . Spanish . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130203012556/http://periodismo.org.mx/Historia/cronologia_antes.html . 3 February 2013 .
3. Web site: Rafael Barajas, El Fisgón. Guadalajara International Book Fair. 10 May 2014. Spanish. 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140512214814/http://www.fil.com.mx/prog/ficha.asp?edicion=2013&idr=5&idsr=6&ide=9&ida=492&lan=1. 12 May 2014. dead.
4. Book: Standish. Peter. Culture and Customs of Mexico. 2004. Greenwood Publishing Group. 9780313304125. 100. Steven M.. Bell.