Sunday Comics: politics with Pancho
(All images by Pancho, borrowed from El Museo della Satira et della caricatura)
Pancho draws political cartoons for Le Monde, the daily semi-conservative French newspaper, as well as Le Canard Enchainé, the French independent (no advertising!) newspaper (it’s name literally means “The Enchained Duck.”).
He’s been described as French, Ecuadorian, Mexican, you name it. He was actually born in Caracas, Venezuela, and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Drawing since he was un niño, he describes himself as a little bit of everything: caricaturist, illustrator, editorialist. He’s provided drawings for the Herald Tribune, The Guardian, Lire, Le Matin, Le Nouvel Observateur, and continues providing one drawing a week to Le Monde, as well as to the Duck in Chains.
I discovered him while living in Paris. I’d always noticed him superficially on the covers of Le Monde because of his well-placed pencil lines, but the day I really discovered him was when I saw a cartoon (which I wish I could find online for you) of his, showing the two French heads of state (President and Prime Minister) sitting at a tiny dinner table with the German leader, who is tying on his napkin, preparing to tuck into dinner.
“I am SO hungry tonight!”, says the German leader.The two French leaders turn to each other and snidely comment:
“Tonight?”
It was all I needed to understand the tension between France and Germany with regard to Europe at the time.
It was hard to find his cartoons online, and I wondered if he exercises strict control over their copyright. Or perhaps only those who get his nationality right are allowed to reproduce his work for nonprofit? I’ll soon know if I’ve offended. For now, let me point you to the only website I found that had several of his cartoons available for viewing, which I will translate for you below.
I found an interestingly rough “rush” transcript of an interview conducted by CNN in 2003 about the war and asking if the pen is mightier than the sword is available here: CNN.
And if you can read Spanish, check out this piece on “Uruguayans in the World” which profiles Pancho (his whole name is Pancho Graells): Uruguayos para el mundo: Humor uruguayo en la información de Le Monde. A fellow Uruguayan, singer Pajaro Canzani, who lives in Paris, once offered to introduce me to Pancho, but alas, I had to move back to New York before I had the chance.
Below are some of his cartoons, with translations.
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If you have seen any Pancho cartoons you’d like a translation for, feel free to ask!
