Fiquito Yunqué
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (May 2014) |
Carlos Federico Yunqué González, more commonly known as Fiquito Yunqué, is a fictional character (the name is actually a
Early history
During close to twenty years in its 51-year run, Claridad featured a comedy column named "Entrando Por La Salida" ("In Through The Out Door"), initially inspired by
A reorganization at the newspaper left it without comedy writers. Since Claridad tends to have a rather serious tone, many readers demanded that Clemente return. When it became evident that this was not possible (the last author of the column rejected the idea, hinting that he had left Claridad in less than favorable terms), Claridad went on a search for a replacement. This search ended with the publication of an interview that preempted the first "Me Mudo" column: a conversation between José Elías Torres (head of the news department for WPAB-AM in Ponce, Puerto Rico and a Claridad editorial board member) and Yunqué. This interview was featured on the February 7, 2007 edition of Claridad.
The Character
Fiquito (a nickname which is the diminutive of "Federico", or "little Fico") is a pseudonym, as that of his predecessor. However, an entire life history of the character has been revealed through bits and pieces published in various "Me Mudo A La Esquizofrenia" columns.
Fiquito was born in
Fiquito's family embodies all political factions in Puerto Rico. His paternal grandfather was a die-hard supporter of
He claimed to have developed a conscience as
Fiquito joined the
Fiquito opted for a transfer and moved to the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, from which he got an Industrial Engineering degree in 2001. Eventually he met his wife, Diana (nicknamed "La Colorá", or "The Red One", because of both her fair complexion and fiery character) and moved back to the metro area of San Juan. He has recently moved back to Mayagüez, at least temporarily.
Me Mudo a la Esquizofrenia
Name
The name "Me Mudo a la Esquizofrenia" is the last line in a poem by Ingrid Rodriguez, a writer and
The title, according to Fiquito, is a threat: the speaker threatens to move to a chaotic place (which the author hints is the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, but according to Fiquito could better be suited to describe Puerto Ricans in Orlando, Florida. The column's logo pictures a brain preserved in a jar, with sunglasses in the outside as to resemble the brain as being ready for a sunny day.
Writing style
Fiquito's writing style has been compared to that of writers Nemesio Canales, Juan Goytisolo and "Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, "El Sevilla", lead singer and lyricist of the Spanish heavy metal band "Mojinos Escozíos", who is a regular writer on comedy magazines in Spain.
Fiquito tends to start every column with a humorous
Song lyrics of popular Puerto Rican artists and other Puerto Rican pop culture elements are often quoted. However, Fiquito is particularly fond of Calle 13, and particularly, of its lyricist René Pérez's irreverent and sarcastic style. Various of Fiquito's columns have Calle 13 lines as column titles. In a rare public appearance, Fiquito introduced the band for an abbreviated set when it appeared at the 2008 Support for Claridad festival in San Juan on April 24, 2008.
Fiquito's musical influences
Besides being a hardcore fan of Calle 13, Fiquito is also a fan of Tego Calderón, Simian Mobile Disco and Bob Marley.
Political philosophy
Fiquito is an extreme supporter of
Fiquito also considers himself a "recovering
Criticism
Some Claridad readers have criticized the character's irreverent political views. A very vocal opponent of Fiquito is Yeyo Rodríguez, another Mayagüez native, a pro-independence icon in Puerto Rico (and a contemporary of Juan Mari Brás) who wrote a criticism of the character in Claridad once.[3]
Recent Work
Yet another reorganization at Claridad left Yunqué off the weekly. He has since turned to
Future plans for the column have been hinted but not revealed; they include a book.
See also
References
- ^ Yunqué, Carlos F.,Fastidio Contributivo Sin Precedentes Archived 2008-04-27 at the Wayback Machine, Claridad Online Edition, 8 May 2008
- ^ Yunqué, Carlos F., "Su Santidad, Fiquito Primero" Archived 2008-04-04 at the Wayback Machine, Claridad Online Edition, 8 May 2008
- ^ Rodríguez, José N., ¿Quién será Fiquito Yunqué? Archived 2008-03-30 at the Wayback Machine, Claridad Online Edition, 8 May 2008
External links
- Me Mudo a la Esquizofrenia, Yunqué's blog.
- Desexo, a blog where Yunqué is a regular writer.
- Medios Lentos, another blog where Yunqué is a regular writer.
- Fiquito Yunqué's philosophy (in Spanish)