Basque Poets in Edinburgh

Scotland and Euskal Herria have a lot of things in common, they are both occupied by colonialist powers unable to evolve. This is why I was glad to read at EITb about how these two nations are coming together through art. Check this out:

Writers will present 'Six Basque Poets' at Edinburgh Book Festival

The book is a poetic anthology compiled by Mari Jose Olaziregi that gathers poems by Bernardo Atxaga, Rikardo Arregi, Felipe Juaristi, Miren Agur Meabe, Kirmen Uribe and Joseba Sarrionandia in Basque and English.

The Basque writers Bernardo Atxaga, Rikardo Arregi and Miren Agur Meabe will present the book Six Basque Poets, published by the English publishing company Arc, on Sunday, August 12, at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

According to EuskalKultura.com, the book Six Basque Poets is a poetic anthology compiled by Mari Jose Olaziregi and translated into English by Miren Gabantxo that gathers poems by Bernardo Atxaga, Rikardo Arregi, Felipe Juaristi, Miren Agur Meabe, Kirmen Uribe and Joseba Sarrionandia in Basque and English.

The work is the second volume in a series that tries to bring closer contemporary poetry by European authors as well as from other continents to English speakers. That is why Atxaga, Arregi and Meabe will start a presentation tour that will take some of the writers later to Manchester and Reno.

According to sources of the English publishing company, the six poets included in the book have played a crucial role in the development of poetry written in Basque within the last 30 years. The book was published with aid from the Culture Department of the Basque Government and the Cervantes Institute from Manchester as well as Culture 2000.

Presentation tour

The first presentation event of the book will be this Sunday in Edinburgh. In turn, Kirmen Uribe and Felipe Juaristi will present the book at the Cervantes Institute of Manchester in October. In November Uribe and Ataxga will visit Reno, where they will lecture at the Center for Basque Studies (CBS) of the University of Nevada.

Reno will host the first International Meeting of Basque Literature in April 2008, under the guidance of Atxaga at the CBS. The CBS will publish the book History of Basque Literature for the occasion. Among the main authors of the work are Jean Haritschelhar, Beñat Oihartzabal, Aurelia Arkotxa, Igone Etxebarria, Joxerra Garzia, Lourdes Otaegi, Xabier Altzibar, Jesus Maria Lasagabaster, Patri Urkizu, Xabier Etxaniz, Manu Lopez and Mari Jose Olaziregi, translated into English by Amaia Gabantxo.

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