On April 2, cartoonist Liniers discussed his new book, “Macanudo: Optimism is for the Brave,” with English and Creative Writing department chair Peter Orner at Still North Books & Bar. Originally slated to take place on Jan. 16, the event was rescheduled due to inclement weather.
Born Ricardo Liniers Siri in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the renowned cartoonist — who publishes under the name Liniers — currently lives in Vermont with his wife and three daughters. Liniers is the artist-in-residence at the Center for Cartoon Studies, located in Hartford, Vt.
Sophie Chadha for The Dartmouth reports on Liniers appearance near the college.
… Another essential component of Liniers’s work is its humor, he said.
“My job is not to be good at drawing,” Liniers said. “There were always kids who were better at drawing than me — where are they now, though? It’s not as important to draw well as to draw funny. I know very few people who can draw funny.”
For Liniers, “drawing funny” means channeling his personality into his illustrations. This, in turn, has pushed him to be more open to sharing his optimistic perspective with readers, he said.
Rather than conforming to a traditional structure, Liniers said his self-proclaimed “schizophrenic” narratives meander in many different directions, because he is “always looking for surprise.”
“Humor and surprise are best friends,” Liniers said to his audience.
Full of iconic historical figures and beloved literary characters, from Kafka to Moby Dick, “Macanudo: Optimism is for the Brave” features a bizarre cast of personalities whose recognizable features make the older reader feel cultured and intellectual.
Macanudo: Optimism is for the Brave is available now; as is Macanudo the comic strip.