José María López Lledín
Encyclopedia
Street people
Street people are people who live a public life on the streets of a city. Street people are frequently homeless, sometimes mentally ill, and often have a bohemian lifestyle...
in Havana, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in the decade of the 50s.
First years
López Lledín was born in the town of Vilaseca, in the municipality of Fonsagrada, province of LugoLugo
Lugo is a city in northwestern Spain, in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the capital of the province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 97,635 in 2010, which makes is the fourth most populated city in Galicia.-Population:...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
at 11:00 AM on 30 December 1899. His father was Manuel López Rodríguez, also born in Vilaseca, and his mother was Josefa Lledín Mendez, born in Negueira in the same Municipality and Province. They were owners of a small villa with vineyards where they produced wine and spirits. He started primary school at age 7 in Negueira and completed half of his secondary education. López Lledín arrived in Habana on 10 December 1913 at the age of 12 aboard the German steamship "Chemnitz". There he stayed with his uncle (known as AG, a brother in law of his brother Benigno) and his sister Inocencia, who had previously arrived in Cuba in 1910. López Lledín worked at a grocery store in Genios street, owned by another Galician, until he left his uncle's home. He worked as a clerk at a flower shop, a tailor, a book store and a lawyer's office. He studied and refined his mannerisms to get better employment. He worked as a restaurant waiter in the hotels Inglaterra, Telegrafo, Sevilla, Manhattan, Royal Palm, Salon A and Saratoga. According to his cousin Julio, he could even speak some English.
Becoming El caballero de Paris
López Lledín lost his reason and became "El Caballero de Paris" when he was arrested in late 1920 and sent to the prison at "El Castillo del Principe" in Habana, Cuba. The reasons are unknown but he always claimed in all interviews his innocence. "El Caballero de Paris" was always vague about the origins of his nickname. Once he said to his biographer that he got his name from a French novel. Another time he claimed that they started calling him "El Caballero" at "La Acera del Louvre" (the "sidewalk of the Louvre"), an area of the Paseo del Prado (Havana, Cuba) where three hotels are located, including the "Inglaterra" where he had worked. Perhaps in his mind he equated the "Acera del Louvre" with Paris. He said Habana was "very Parisienne" and that he was "a MusketeerMusketeer
A musketeer was an early modern type of infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern armies, particularly in Europe. They sometimes could fight on horseback, like a dragoon or a cavalryman...
, a Corsair
Corsair
Corsairs were privateers, authorized to conduct raids on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds...
and a Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
(es: Caballero) of Lagardiere". He stated that "Paris is well known in Habana" and that "many Cubans had become famous in Paris, such as Marta and Rosalia Abreu of Santa Clara".
Others say that at one time he worked at the "Paris" (Havana, Cuba) restaurant and, when he returned saying that he was a "Caballero" and "King" the clients started referring to him as "El Caballero de Paris". Others say it was due to the French style of dress which he sported in his ramblings. Still others relate that it was given to him by the weekly humorous/satiric publication "Zig Zag".
El Caballero"'s sister Mercedes state that "El Caballero" got his nickname due to a girlfriend from Paris, who was killed during her trip to join him in Habana.
The street wanderer
El Caballero de Paris wandered the streets of Havana for many years and there is where he got his notoriety. "El Caballero" never traveled outside of Havana after he became mentally ill. Several times he was arrested and once, or maybe twice, he was bathed and his hair was shaved completely, but the reaction of the public when the event was reported by the press, resulted in his immediate release. In 1941 he was briefly interned in the Mental Hospital at Mazorra, but was released immediately by Presidential order. One well known anecdote happened on television:In 1953, El Caballero de Paris, together with several other well known street persons, including "Bigote de Gato" and "La Marquesa", were invited by Gaspar Pumarejo, Cuba's TV pioneer, magnate and variety show host, to serve as a panel of judges in his live TV program "Escuela de Television" (TV School). At the end of the program, Pumarejo decided to reward the panel by giving $20 to each. When he tried to give the money to "El Caballero", the latter responded "Neither my feelings nor my high position allow me to accept this money. I give it to Bigote de Gato for a party that he will give in his establishment." Pumarejo, taken aback, paused a moment and then asked "Why don't we give it to the National Orphanage?" to which El Caballero replied "Well, lets donate it...but what are the rich and the government doing who are supposed to take care of the Orphanage? This is an act of charity and it is not right that the children of the orphanage should receive alms."
In 1949, he declared for the "Bohemia" magazine
"I am the king of the world because the world is always at my feet."
Last years and death
On 7 December 1977 he was interned in Mazorra's psychiatric hospital because of his deteriorating physical condition. During his stay at Mazorra he was given physical, laboratory and psychological tests and also suffered a hip fracture as a result of a fall. He was diagnosed from his psychatrist, Dr. Calzadilla as suffering from paraphrenia, sometimes considered a form of schizophrenia. He did not suffer from hallucinations.He died in Mazorra at 1:45 AM on July 11, 1985 at the age of 86. He was initially buried in the cemetery of Santiago de las Vegas in Habana. His remains were later exhumed by Eusebio Leal
Eusebio Leal
Eusebio Leal Spengler, , is the Havana City Historian, director of the restoration program of Old Havana and its historical center, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Deputy to the National Assembly of the Popular Power in the IV, V and I SAW Legislature, Ambassador of Good Will of the United Nations,...
, the Historian of the City of La Havana, and transferred to the convent of St. Francis (now a concert hall and museum), his current resting place.
In the arts
- A bronze statue by the sculptor José Villa SoberónJosé Villa SoberónJosé Ramón Villa Soberón is a Cuban artist, particularly known for his public sculptures around Havana. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana, Cuba and the Academy of Plastic Arts in Prague. He is a professor at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana...
was made and placed in the sidewalk in front of the St. Francis convent. - Another statue, made by Hector Martinez Calá, is placed the Havana scale model Museum, in Miramar.
- A number of paintings by painters Gilberto Marino, Luis Roberto Miqueli Prez
- A song, "Memoria y Testamento" (en: "Memory and Legacy") by Cuban singer Liuba Maria Hevia mentions "El Caballero de Paris"
- A danzonDanzónDanzón is the official dance of Cuba. It is also an active musical form in Mexico and is still beloved in Puerto Rico where Verdeluz, a modern danzón by Puerto Rican composer Antonio Cabán Vale is considered the unofficial national anthem...
, "El Caballero de Paris", by composer Antonio Maria RomeuAntonio María RomeuAntonio María Romeu Marrero was a Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader. His orchestra was Cuba's leading charanga for over thirty years, specializing in the danzón.- Life & work :...
and interpreted by Barbarito Diez - The corner of 36th Avenue and 8th Street in Miami was officially designated on March 9 of 2004 as "Avenida El Caballero de Paris".
- A song, "El ilustrado caballero de Paris", by singer and composer Gerardo Alfonso.