Antonio Ribera i Jordà 1920-2001

 Information from Spanish Wikipedia. all photos (c)2022 Respective copyright owners

Ribera was a renowned Spanish writer , ufologist , translator and submariner and was/is considered the "father" of Spanish ufology. He published numerous books on the subject of UFOs and was the co-founder of the Center for Interplanetary Studies (CEI) in Barcelona ( 1958 ). He became interested in the UFO phenomenon in the summer of 1947, when news about "flying saucers" began to appear in the Spanish press for the first time. It is in these years that he begins to write his first books, both poetry, theater and essays, publishing books such as Terra de somni ( 1949 ) or El comte d'Arnau ( 1951 ).

Ribera with French Ufologist Aime Michel -uncredited

He was invited as a speaker at numerous international congresses both in Europe and America , dedicated to UFO issues , he also founded the now defunct magazine Horizonte  in addition to collaborating with various parascientific magazines, such as Mundo Desscrito, Karma 7 , Lumières dans la nuit , Flying Saucer Review among others. He also collaborated in various cultural and social magazines and newspapers such as Pont Blau , La Nostra Revista, Tele-Estel, Xarxa or Avui . 

He was a member of the Catalan PEN and the Association of Writers in the Catalan Language (AELC) .

He is considered a promoter of underwater exploration, being one of the founders of the Center for Underwater Research and Recovery (CRIS) ( 1953 ), publishing numerous outreach works on the matter. In 1975 he led the first Spanish expedition to Easter Island ( Operation Rapa Nui , 1975).

He spoke six languages, dedicating himself professionally to the translation of books (more than three hundred), especially English works into Spanish. She wrote more than seventy books, 4 on topics as varied as ufology, science fiction, scuba diving or poetry.

In 1990 he received the Creu de Sant Jordi , one of the highest distinctions awarded by the Government of Catalonia.

Ribera was the victim of hoaxes perpetrated by other Spanish Ufologists and an especially well known individual. Up until about ten years ago I was unaware that Spanish Ufologists were constantly feeding 'fellow researchers' in Catalonia false reports. The Monster of Vizcaya was one case.  Even fellow Spanish investigators were fed hoax information and it seems to have been a main pastime.

Ribera being willing to accept CE3K/AE reports made himself a target and, of course, there was jealousy at the fact that he was the face of Spanish Ufology.