José Benito Calvo Rego


Pseudonym: Tucho
Category: Writer and journalist
Birth Date: in 1954
Birth Place: La Guaira - Venezuela
 Curriculum

After having emigrated, he came back to Galicia with his parents to spend his childhood in Loiba-Ortigueira. He studied Philosophy and Arts in Santiago (although he did not finish his career) and Journalism in Madrid, working at the same time with the media. Since 1976, he has been working for the newspaper La Voz de Galicia, where he is editor-in-chief nowadays. His journalistic activity started in the newspaper El Correo Gallego but he was dismissed after asking the board of directors to give objective information about the pre-senate clash when the Mayor of Compostela and juridical adviser at 'Antonio Castro' publishing house said that Castelao did not even deserve a lecture and caused the reaction of the Galician intellectuals led by Otero Pedrayo. Then he collaborated in 'La Región', 'Arriba', 'Opinión', 'Ciudadano', 'Radio Francia International' and 'El País'. In the middle of the 80's, he edited the newspaper La Crónica de León for a short period of time.

 Work & Activities

He started his activity as writer with his book Froito das lembranzas ('Do Cerne' Publications, 1981), which got 'Galicia' Prize in July 1980 (at that moment it was the prize of the biggest economical endowment in Spain). Século XXI. No comenzo dunha nova historia da humanidade ('Do Cerne' Publications, 1982) was his second novel. Since he got the third prize at 'O Facho' Children Tale Contest in 1977, he was worthy of recognition in some contests such as 'Modesto R. Figueiredo' 1980 and 1981) and ' O Meco' (1983). Some of his stories were published in Man Común (1981), La Pluma (1981) and Sapoconcho (1995). Most of them are collected in Astra o confín ('Do Castro' Publications, 1983), which was illustrated by Xaime Quesada. In 1988, 'Júcar' publishing house asked him for a text for the collection S.O.S. tu libro juego de aventuras, titled El laberinto de Krochne. His literary work stopped having an external influence until he published Telúrico (Espiral Mayor, 1997). He published O legado xornalístico de Valentín Paz-Andrade in the Galician Library (1977) and coordinated the publication of Murguía e La Voz de Galicia (2000). Over 150,000 issues were made to be given with the newspaper La Voz de Galicia as a gift on the Day of the Galician Letters ('Día de las Letras Gallegas'). At the end of 1998, he signed the biography Valentín Paz-Andrade, la memoria del siglo. He had previously taken part in collective works that paid homage to Blanco Amor and Laxeiro. Luz de abrente (Galaxia, 1999) is his last novel. He also collaborated in the collective story book Deixade pois que voe o paporroibo, que nos conte contos. The children story A castaña que chegou á árbore was published by the publishing house Ir Indo in 2000.