Mafalda. Everything is complicated, not childishly

Mafalda – the main character of the eponymous series of short comics, or rather, comic strips (from English strip – a strip, where one horizontal row of frames is one story), created by the world-famous Argentine cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado... (1932–2000), better known by the pseudonym Quino.

Mafalda, who is unusually wise and reasonable for her six years, possesses an amazingly sound perspective on things. She loves to ask uncomfortable questions, speaks her mind about everything she sees, and, to put it mildly, wonders why the modern world is arranged exactly as it is by the efforts of adults.

From 1964 to 1973, black and white comics about Mafalda were published in Argentine newspapers and magazines and were also released as book collections, which instantly became bestsellers. Mafalda became a cult character not only in Latin America but also in Europe after the release of the first Italian edition with a preface by Umberto Eco in 1969.

To date, Mafalda strips have been published in 26 languages with a total circulation of over 20 million copies. It is the most popular Latin American comic in the world. The sharp statements of the main character and her friends are still quoted. As of 2026, a premiere of the animated series "Mafalda" based on the comics is scheduled on the Netflix platform.

"Mafalda. Everything is complicated, not childishly" – the long-awaited first publication of Quino in Russian. This collection includes stories that will be understandable and close to readers of any age. In addition to the classic strips from the period 1964–1973, it includes a special project by Quino from 1977 – the "Declaration of the Rights of the Child, commented on by Mafalda and her friends for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).