“Tarantola” bookshop, Udine
5:30 pm, presentation
LITERATURES (WRITINGS, NEWS, WORDS)
TITLE: SAKONEAN. SAILING AROUND THE 20TH CENTURY IN BASQUE COUNTRY
WHEN: Friday, October 13, 5.30pm
WHERE: “Tarantola” Bookshop, Udine
LANGUAGES: Basque, Friulian, Spanish
DESCRIPTION: There are texts, such as «Vasconia» by Federico Krutwig, or productions, such as those by label Herri Gogoa, that effected deep change in Basque society during the second half of the 20th Century. Who made them possible? «Sakonean, itsasoa ikusten da. Miangolarratarren uberan» (Txalaparta, 2023) – On the bottom you see the sea. Following the tracks of the Miangolarras – salvages from the sea of forgotten past the adventures of the Miangolarra Gorostiana family, straddling the Basque Country, Venezuela and France. It’s a biography, narrated in sophisticated prose by Patxi Zubizarreta. It’s a window opened onto Basque history throughout the Twentieth Century, from the Spanish Civil War to the anti-Francoist resistance. It’s a testimony of political and cultural commitment, a story of exile, dignity and redemption.
PROTAGONIST: Patxi Zubizarreta (Ordizia, 1964) is one of the most important writers in the Basque contemporary scene. After «Ametsetako mutila», published in 1991, he has written books in many different genres, from science fiction to folk-inspired tales, from migration to magic realism. He translated into Basque writers such as Abdela Taia, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt and Naguib Mahfuz. He has won several awards for YA and children’s fiction books, and is involved in projects that combine writing with other art forms, music especially.
INTRODUCED AND MODERATED BY: Carlo Puppo
IN COLLABORATION WITH: “Tarantola” bookshop, Udine.
THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK PRESENTATION OUTSIDE OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY.