The great LGBT creators of the 20th century as never before told.

Did you know that Tórtola Valencia, one of the most famous dancers of the first third of the 20th century, had to adopt her girlfriend so she could inherit, and now they are buried as mother and daughter in a Barcelona cemetery? And that Luis Cernuda, one of the greats of the Generation of '27, wrote Poems for a Body inspired by a Mexican bodybuilder he fell in love with? Did you also know that Francis Bacon, one of the most important British painters of the 20th century, died in Madrid because he came to Spain to meet a boyfriend, or that Carmen Conde, the first woman to enter the Royal Spanish Academy, shared a large part of her life with another woman?

This is just a small sample of the names you'll find in the pages of this informative essay, which, in a lively and direct style, aims to give a place to artists who had to go into hiding due to their sexual dissidence or risk suffering the consequences of living it freely. Biographies such as those of Gil de Biedma, Miguel de Molina, and Mari Trini, among others, will help us reconstruct part of the dissident cultural memory of the 20th century, as well as demonstrate that the rebels of desire, those who had to confront established social norms, have always been there.

Author's biography

Carlos Barea (Granada, 1987) has a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from the Rey Juan Carlos University, a Master's degree in Creative Writing from the Hotel Kafka school, and a Master's degree in LGBTIQ+ Studies from the Complutense University of Madrid. He collaborates with various media outlets, including the Spanish national television program Cine de Barrio , the magazine Shangay , and the cultural supplement El Asombrario , in addition to working as a professional editor and reader for various publishing houses.

Regarding his writing career, in 2020 he published his first novel, Bendita tú eres (Blessed You Are) (Egales), and in 2023 he coordinated the collective works Flores para Lola. A Queer and Feminist Look at the Pharaoh (Dos Bigotes & Egales), Ocaña. The Eternal Shine of the Sun of Cantillana (Dos Bigotes), and Pepe Espaliú. Visibility, Experiences, and Cultural Constructions Around HIV (Flores Raras). In 2024, he coordinated Eloy de la Iglesia. The Hidden Pleasure of Spanish Cinema (Dos Bigotes) and worked on the script for the documentary La última noche de Sonia Martínez (RTVE).

Book details:

• Written by : Carlos Barea
• Publisher : Plaza & Janés
• Publication date : May 22, 2025
• Language : Spanish
• Pages : 240
• ISBN-10 : 8401036712
• ISBN-13 : 978-8401036712
• Weight : 368 g
• Dimensions : 15.1 x 1.8 x 22.9 cm