Diogo Mainardi

Diogo Mainardi

Diogo Briso Mainardi (born September 22, 1962) is a Brazilian writer, journalist and TV commentator, mainly known for his articles in Brazil's largest weekly magazine, Veja.

He was born in São Paulo, where he finished high school. He went to London to study economics at the London School of Economics. Not managing to maintain a passing average, he quit in his freshman year, and never graduated. During that period, he met Ivan Lessa, whom he regards as one of his greatest influences.

Mainardi previously lived in Venice, where he met Gore Vidal who heaped praise on him during a mid-1980s conference tour in Brazil. He has published five books: Malthus (1989), Arquipélago (1992), Polígono das Secas (1995), Contra o Brasil (1998), and A Tapas e Pontapés (2004). None of the first four - all novels - were successes, but his latest book, featuring excerpts of his political articles in Veja, has been proven a commercial success, though showing no improvement in his writing skills. He has also written two screenplays: 16060 (1995) and Mater Dei (2001). Both films were major box-office flops, something Mainardi regularly makes fun of in a self-deprecating manner.

Mainardi has been subject of controversy due to his elitist and far-right political positions. He often criticized Brazil's president, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva (2003–2010), and his party. Particularly, he liked to insist in Lula's supposed lack of intelligence and finesse. In 2007 Mainardi wrote a book by the name Lula é Minha Anta (Lula is my tapir). (in Brazilian Portuguese slang, "anta" is an insult. When the tapir panics, it is said to run through the forest, trampling whatever is in its way. So to call someone an "anta" is to say that such person is like a stupid animal, who does violent irrational things and cannot be stopped by persuasion . Or, as Mainardi himself says in the book's earmark, "Lula is mine. Only I can call him ignorant and authoritarian"). Due to his abusive journalistic style and vitriolic comments against Lula - as well as towards those he sees as Lula's supporters - Mainardi has been sued for libel by various politicians and fellow journalists. Journalist Franklin Martins won a 30,000 reais (about 18,000 dollars) cause against him, this decision was subsequently thrown out on an appeal; journalist Mino Carta won a 35,000 reais (about 20,000 dollars) cause.

He is currently a member of a Sunday night cable TV panel show called Manhattan Connection, broadcast by the "Globo News" channel, a part of Globosat.

Mainardi maintains a podcast available on the Veja website. He is married and has two sons. The older one, Tito, suffers from cerebral palsy.

He regularly cites noted Brazilian intellectuals Paulo Francis and Ivan Lessa as his mentors.