Alberto Cardín facts for kids

Benigno Alberto Cardín Garay (Villamayor, 15 January 1948 - Barcelona, 26 January 1992) was an important Spanish writer and expert on human cultures. He was also a leading voice for gay rights during Spain's move to democracy. He wrote many books and articles about gay Spanish life.

Early Life and Education

Alberto Cardín was born in Villamayor, in Asturias, Spain. When he was about one and a half years old, he and his mother moved to Mexico. His father had a shirt factory there.

At age nine, Alberto returned to Asturias alone. He went to study at the Immaculate Conception's College in Gijón. He stayed at the college until 1965. After a short time trying to become a Jesuit, he began studying Philosophy and Literature in Salamanca in 1968. He later moved to Oviedo. There, he finished his studies in Art History in 1972.

A Life of Writing and Ideas

Alberto traveled to Mexico again. He remembered his childhood and learned about new cultural ideas from Europe and America. In 1973, he moved to Barcelona for good.

The next year, he started writing for many magazines and newspapers. He wrote a lot for El viejo topo. He also wrote for El País, Ajoblanco, and Diwan. He was even an assistant editor for Diwan until 1981. Later, his writings appeared in Disidencias, Cuadernos del Norte, and Diagonal.

Alberto also helped start several publishing projects. Some important ones were the magazine Diwan (1978), La Bañera (1979), and Luego... cuadernos de crítica e investigación (1985). Most of his work was in articles. These articles were later put together into books.

Raising Awareness About AIDS

In August 1985, Alberto Cardín bravely shared that he had AIDS. He did this in an interview published in Cambio 16. At that time, AIDS was a new and scary disease. People didn't know much about it. Many people who had AIDS faced unfair treatment.

Alberto became one of Spain's top experts on the disease. He spoke out loudly to spread awareness. He explained the disease and its effects clearly. He also talked about the prejudice people with AIDS faced and the government's slow response.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1986, Alberto continued his studies at the University of Barcelona. His special project was called Dialectics and Cannibalism. In this work, he explored the idea of cannibalism. He showed how it was sometimes used to unfairly describe ancient people.

Alberto Cardín passed away on 26 January 1992, at his home in Barcelona. He died because of AIDS. After his death, his personal library was moved to the Philosophy Department of the University of Oviedo. In May, several groups held a special event to honor him. These groups included the Catalan Institute of Anthropology and the University of Barcelona.

He also helped write and sign the Manifiesto de los 2.300. This was a statement that asked for the rights of Spanish-speaking people in Catalonia.

His Important Works

According to Alberto Mira, Alberto Cardín was a very original thinker in Spain. He liked to debate ideas and didn't always follow traditional rules. This led him to write about many different topics. He wrote about modern culture, human societies, religion, and philosophy.

His poetry was collected in books like Paciencia del destino (1980), Despojos (1981), and Indículo de sombras (1983).

Besides his own writing, Alberto Cardín was also known for translating books. One important translation was Marcel Proust, the veiled visitor: [Cartas y documentos inéditos] (1982) by Princess Marthe Bibesco.

Activism for Gay Rights

Alberto Cardín always believed that his identity as a homosexual person was a very important part of his life. He also felt that gay culture was key to his way of thinking. He started connecting with gay rights activists in the late 1970s.

After finding out he had HIV in 1984, he became a leading voice in Spain on the topic of AIDS. He talked about AIDS as both a cultural issue and a physical illness. He spoke openly about all the challenges and impacts of the disease. This included fighting against prejudice and the government's slow action.

In 1985, he worked with Armand de Fluvià to put together two books about AIDS. These books included articles from the US and Spain. They aimed to fight against the lack of action from gay groups and the wrong information from the media. In 1991, when people understood the disease much better, he published AIDS: Biblical curse or lethal disease?.

Alberto Cardín also studied homosexuality as part of his work as an expert on human cultures. In his book Lo próximo y lo ajeno, he looked at gay culture during the AIDS crisis.

In 1985, he convinced Eduardo Suárez, a book publisher, to create a special collection of books. This collection was just for LGBT culture. It was called Rey de Bastos. It was the first of its kind in Spain. It published essays and stories about this type of literature. Alberto Cardín himself published books in this collection, such as Detrás por delante and Lo mejor es lo peor. He also published his essay SIDA: enfoques alternativos there.

See also

In Spanish: Alberto Cardín para niños