Ricardo Carballo Calero (Ferrol, 1910 – Santiago de Compostela, 1990), self-styled as Ricardo Carvalho Calero from 1981 onward, was a Spanish philologist, academic and writer. He was the first Professor of Galician Language and Literature at the University of Santiago de Compostela. He was a member of the Royal Galician Academy, the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, and also an honorary member of the Galician Language Association. He was one of the main theorists of contemporary Galician reintegrationism and his works on this field are considered a primary reference. Many consider Carballo Calero as one of the most prominent figures of the twentieth century Galician intelligentsia. Youth and first involvement in politics In his student years, Carballo Calero participated in the Spanish left-wing republican movements opposing the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera. In 1926, he moved to Santiago de Compostela to study for degrees in Law and Philosophy and to do his compulsory military service. While there, he became acquainted with the ideas of Galicianism, and his political activism become an integral part of his life. In the late 1920s, he became friends with Soviet spy Ignace Reiss through mutual artist friends, while Reiss was stationed in Amsterdam. In 1931, he joined the Partido Galeguista ("Galicianist Party") and contributed to the draft of the first Galician Statute of Autonomy alongside intellectuals such as Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao. He also collaborated with left-wing nationalist organizations such as Esquerda Galeguista ("Galician Left") and with political publications such as Claridad ("Clarity") and Ser ("To Be"). He completed his college studies in 1936. Ostracism and eventual incorporation to the University Following the Francoist revolt and the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Carballo Calero became a volunteer combatant for the Spanish Republic, achieving the rank of lieutenant in the Spanish Republican Army. He was captured by the Francoists and convicted on the grounds of "secessionism" and sentenced to sixteen years in the jail of Jaén (Spain). Yet, he was released in 1941. He returned to his natal city of Ferrol, where he worked as a private tutor as he was banned from holding any public position, including teaching. He re-established contact with the Galicianists and began his doctoral studies, eventually getting his PhD in 1955. His thesis was published in 1963 with the title Historia da literatura galega contemporánea ("History of contemporary Galician literature"). In 1958, he was invited to join the