He studied law at the
Universidad Central and his first articles appeared in the periodical
Índice, edited by
Juan Ramón Jiménez, in 1921 and 1922. Bergamín's friendship with Jiménez would be as strong as the one he maintained with
Miguel de Unamuno, who served as an inspiration for Bergamín. Bergamín's writings for
Índice would make him part of the
Generation of '27 (he preferred the term “Generation of the
Republic”), although scholars also place him in the earlier
Generation of 1914 or a member of the movement known as
Novecentismo. However, his activities were very much an integral part of the Generation of '27, and he collaborated in all of the publications of this group, and served as editor of its various books. He is also considered Unamuno's principal disciple and one of the best Spanish essayists of the 20th century, with his themes covering everything from literary myths to the
Golden Age of Spain, from
mysticism to politics, from Spain itself to
bullfighting. An opponent of the regime of
Miguel Primo de Rivera, Bergamín participated in a political gathering in
Salamanca together with Unamuno in support of republican ideals. He also served briefly as General Director of Insurance in the Ministry of Labor during the administration of Prime Minister
Francisco Largo Caballero. In 1933, he founded and served as editor of the periodical
Cruz y Raya, to which numerous authors of the Generation of ’27 contributed. The last issue of
Cruz y Raya, number 39, appeared in June 1936, a few days before the military uprising that would lead to the
Spanish Civil War. ==Career during the Spanish Civil War==