Mario Bortolato, historic cartoonist of La Settimana Enigmistica, dies at 92

Mario Bortolato, known by his pseudonym "Bort", passed away on the night of January 19 in Alessandria at the age of 92. Born in the province of Venice in 1926, he was a cartoonist for over fifty years, best known for his satirical strip "Le ultime parole famose" in La Settimana Enigmistica, Italy's iconic puzzle magazine. His career began at Il Guerin Meschino, a satirical illustrated periodical founded in 1882 in Milan. He later contributed to major magazines of the 1950s and 1960s such as Epoca, L'Europeo, and Le Ore. In 1955 he won the Dattero d'Argento at the Festival dell'Umorismo in Bordighera. In 1962 he joined Disegnatori Riuniti, a historic agency of Italian humorists, which led to his long collaboration with La Settimana Enigmistica. He directed the "Le ultime parole famose" column until 2013, though his cartoons continued to be published until January 1, 2017, using previously unpublished material. His distinctive style featured clean black-and-white lines and finely sarcastic humor, depicting bald, potbellied men, buxom wives, freckled children, office workers, and professors, capturing Italian middle-class life and anxieties. His cartoons appeared on page 41 of the magazine for decades. Davide Buzzi Langhi, deputy mayor of Alessandria, remembered him as a great figure who influenced culture and everyday life.