Paulo Caruso

Paulo Caruso was a Brazilian cartoonist and musician, who was born as Paulo José Hespanha Caruso in 1949. He was the son of two Polish Jewish immigrants, a shoemaker and a housewife. He started his career as a poet and a radio announcer, and later moved to television, where he was a pioneer, creating TV de Vanguarda, a television theater popular in the 1950s. He also worked for many newspapers and magazines, such as O Pasquim, Folha de S.Paulo, and IstoÉ, where he published his political cartoons and humor columns. He was known for his sharp and witty criticism of Brazilian politicians and society, as well as his adaptations of major literary works. He also composed many songs, some of them in partnership with other cartoonists and musicians, such as Chico Caruso, Luis Fernando Verissimo, and Aroeira. He was also a political activist and a member of the Communist Party of Brazil, which led him to be arrested several times. He died of cancer in 2023, at the age of 73.