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It often happens that great men write history because the poverty into which they were born made them sharpen their wits. This is the case of Alfonso Guerra (83), who from 1982 to 1991 was one of the most powerful men in our country when he served as vice president during the government of Felipe González. But until we reach that part of his life that has earned him an important place in democracy, it is convenient to stop at his childhood.

As the eleventh of 13 children, Alfonso knew from a very young age that he had to pitch in at home. His father started working in the fields at the age of five tending a herd of pigs, he was unable to go to school and learned to read and write with a caton. His mother also did not attend school. His memories of that time are happy despite the hardships. He was very cold when he went to study because he wore short sleeves while his classmates covered themselves with thick coats. At the age of ten, she suffered one of the hardest blows of her life, as one of her older sisters, Consuelo, died of tuberculosis.

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Documentary.

Manuel Lamarca, director of the documentary on Guerra: "I was impressed to detect the enormous affection he has for Felipe González"

  • Written by: CONSUELO FONT

Manuel Lamarca, director of the documentary on Guerra: "I was impressed to detect the enormous affection he has for Felipe González"

His parents must have seen something special in him when he was the only one who did high school and graduated in Philosophy and Letters and as an Industrial Technical Engineer. In the book The Rose and the Thorns, she recounts that in her family, when she was 10 years old, boys would work in a workshop and girls would sew. Alfonso was always aware of the needs at home. As a child he would get lost looking for scrap metal in the countryside and then sell it and as a teenager he earned a daily wage working in the canteen of a summer cinema, selling in a knick-knacks kiosk and even painting the railings of the Sorbonne in Paris. His mother was clear: "This child will lift us out of poverty." He was a nerd. If I didn't get a 10 on everything, I got at least a 9.

As his father had instilled in him his passion for culture, in 1969 he opened the Antonio Machado Bookshop in Seville with his wife Carmen Reina, where different activities were held, such as concerts by the Nova Cançó, conferences, films and, above all, as a space for debate It was attended by some of the future leaders of the PSOE, a party he joined in 1962. The bookstore was the perfect place to stir consciences, renew ideas, and plan student revolts. Little by little, he acquired more and more power within the political organization that already had Felipe González (81), who was beginning to stand out for his charisma. In 1978 he became one of the fathers of the Constitution.

Together with his wife, Carmen Reina, in 2011.

From his relationship with Carmen was born Alfonso, who is affectionately called 'Pincho', and who has followed in his father's footsteps. In the 80s he had serious clashes with Miguel Boyer, who starred in one of the most important scandals of the decade for his infidelity with Isabel Preysler, who was also married to the Marquis of Griñón. In this regard, Alfonso also messed it up when in 1983 his daughter Alma was born, the result of an extramarital affair with María Jesús Llorente, a girl who belonged to the Benjumea family. His father was the founder of Abengoa and <>st Marquis of Puebla de Cazalla. After this romance, the former politician returned to his wife. Tonight he goes to El Hormiguero to shed some light on the political imbroglio that is darkening the country.

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