euskalkultura.eus

Donostia-San Sebastian.  The Etxepare Basque Institute presented its program of activities at the Guadalajara Book Fair, to disseminate literature in the Basque language yesterday in Donostia that will start on Saturday.  Etxepare will attend the book fair and will be part of the Association of Basque Language stand.  Harkaitz Cano and Mikel Ayerbe, professor of literature at the University of the Basque Country and literature expert, will also travel to Mexico along with representatives from both entities.

Cano will present his novel Twist at the fair which received the Euskadi Literature prize this year.  Ayerbe, on the other hand, will present Our Wars: Short Fiction on Basque Conflict, a collection of short stories about the Basque conflict as well as other twentieth century conflicts published in English by the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno.  The collection includes stories by Bernardo Atxaga, Inazio Mujika Iraola, Ramon Saizarbitoria, Iban Zaldua, Jokin Muñoz, Eider Rodriguez, Xabier Montoia, Arantxa Iturbe, Karmele Jaio, Harkaitz Cano, Ur Apalategi, Aingeru Epaltza and Joseba Gabilondo.

Meeting with students

Cano and Ayerbe will also participate in other Book Fair activities.  On November 27 and 28, they will visit four schools in Guadalajara to talk about Basque literature to students as part of FIL’s ECOS program.  Also on the 28, they will participate in a roundtable about “Basque Literature and Political Conflict,” at the fair.

The authors will also take part in activities organized outside of the Book Fair program.  On November 27, for example, they will debate “Literature and Violence: the Basque and Mexican Face” at the Casa de Cultura ITESO Clavigero, along with Mexican experts and Mari Jose Olaziregi, director of Promotion of the Euskera at the Etxepare Institute.

To Mexico City

Although the fair concludes on December 2, Cano and Ayerbe will travel to Mexico City on the first, to participate in various activities in the capital.  On the one hand they will present their works at the Gasteiz Book Store where they will give a talk entitled, “Basque Literature after Gernika.”  Following they will meet with students of the Basque Language and Literature lectureships sponsored by the Etxepare Insittue at the UNAM and the IberoAmerican University in Mexico City.