Birger Angvik (born 1940)

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Active in DNF-48 in Bergen, where he also served as chair for a period. Later involved in HBB. Committed to advocacy for queer rights in Norway, Peru, Spain, England, and Mexico.

In our interview, Angvik shares memories of growing up on the west coast of Norway and his longing to explore the world—something that led him to Spain to continue his studies. There, despite Franco’s dictatorship, he discovered an open queer community. He had a similar experience during a stay in Peru in the early 1970s. In the mid-1980s, he helped establish a gay movement in Lima, supported by HBB in Bergen.

Angvik was also an active contributor to both local and national newspapers. He is Professor Emeritus of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Bergen. Inspired by queer theory, his research has focused on sexuality, gender, and power in literature—particularly Latin American literature.

In an excerpt from the interview, Angvik recounts his first encounter with Spain in 1966, where he witnessed people living openly queer lives—something he had not experienced in Norway.

The full interview with Birger Angvik is available in our reading room. Skeivt arkiv met him in Bergen, June 2018.