El Madriles from Bilbao

"Madriles” was the nickname of an otherwise unknown Bilbaoan, who died in the great flood of Bilbao in August 1983.

Madriles lived and work in the Casco Vieja (the Old Quarter), collecting cardboard and paper for recycling and to earn a meager living.

Friendly bar and restaurant owners usually ensured he didn’t get hungry or thirsty. 

He used to say that a better world was possible; he believed and defended it. Good-natured and idealistic, he only plucked officials, because, he said, they “sold their lives for a plate of lentils”.