Poetry

(To be completed with other contributions)

"Poetry is going strong, especially among the younger generation of poets. Many poets born in the 1970s have joined the Basque literary scene in the last few years. Some of them are: Kirmen Uribe, Asier Serrano, Igor Estankona, Jon Benito, Jose Luis Padrón, Urtzi Urrutikoetxea, Castillo Suarez, Anjel Erro and Ixiar Rozas. There has also been a concerted effort on the part of the University of the Basque Country to reissue volumes of well-known authors' works. The collection XX. mendeko euskal poesia kaierak ("20th-Century Basque Poetry"), published by Susa and edited by the writer Koldo Izagirre, is one such project. Another example of the genre's popularity is the www.basquepoetry.net website, which is available to readers in several languages.

Also remarkable is the popularity of poetry readings. Mixing poetry and other arts such as music or painting, these events bring many people together. A very successful example is the show put on by poet Kirmen Uribe and singer Mikel Urdangarin: Zaharregia, txikiegia again. Una manera de mirar. Too Old, Too Small, Maybe (Gaztelupeko hotsak, 2003), which has had a sensational international reception. I should also mention some poetry collections that have been published lately accompanied by CDs containing readings and music: Bernardo Atxaga's Nueva Etiopía ("New Ethiopia", El Europeo, 1996) and Joseba Sarrionandia's Hau da ene ondasun guztia ("These Are All My Riches", Txalaparta, 1999) are two examples. Interestingly, the latter volume contains translations of the poet's work into three languages.

The development from Aresti's social poetry took place during the 1970s, when the more existential poetry of authors such as Xabier Lete, Arantza Urretabizkaia or Mikel Lasa took over. Other authors took a post-symbolist stand – their aim was to move towards a more concise and synthetic style (e.g. Juan Mari Lekuona) or a deeper degree of introspection (e.g. Bittoriano Gandiaga). Koldo Izagirre also started writing in the 1970s. His Itsaso ahantzia ("The Forgotten Sea", 1976) dabbled with surrealist aesthetics, but his poetry became more politicised in 1989 with the publication of Balizko erroten erresuma ("The Realm of Imaginary Mills"). In the same way, Joseba Sarrionandia undertook a journey that revisited Kavafis, Holan and Pessoa in a collection of poetry that made many references to high literature: Izuen gordelekuen barrena ("In the Hiding Places of Fear", 1981), but he too moved closer to political poetry in Marinel zaharrak ("The Ancient Mariners", 1987) and Huny illa nyha majah yahoo (1995).

But the book that truly shook the poetry scene of that time was Bernardo Atxaga's Etiopia (1978): it set the standard for modern Basque poetry. The appearance of this collection, together with some of those mentioned above, took place during a period – 1976-1983 – in which Basque poetry experienced its most avant-garde moment, thanks to the proliferation of literary magazines that acted as springboards for many of these authors.

The early 1980s saw a variety of poetic trends, one of which was what was called "the poetry of experience". Poets of the stature of Felipe Juaristi, Amaia Iturbide and Marijo Kerexeta combined their alliance to symbolism and aestheticism with their private experiences to create poetry. Other authors, such as Tere Irastorza, published poetry of a more intimate nature. Luigi Anselmi's work (Zoo ilogikoa, 1985), Aurelia Arkotxa's poetry, which is inspired by both geographical and literary journeys (Septentrio, 2001), or the powerful, ironic poems of Pako Aristi (Castletown, 1996) are also essential parts of the current landscape of Basque poetry.

Although the publication of poetic works has declined since the 1990s, new interesting voices have emerged in the last few years. Ricardo Diaz de Heredia (Kartografia ("Cartography", 1998)), Gerardo Markuleta (Hauta lanerako-poemategia, ("Electoral Poems", 1999)), Miren Agur Meabe (Azalaren Kodea ("The Code of the Skin", 2000)), Kirmen Uribe (Bitartean heldu eskutik ("In the Meantime Hold My Hand", 2001)), Juan Kruz Igerabide (Mailu isila, ("The Silent Hammer", 2002)) are but a few examples. In addition, the group of writers who are associated with the magazine Susa and write more breakaway, underground poetry – Izagirre, Aranbarri, Nabarro, Montoia, Otamendi and Borda – has grown. It now includes the new voices of Olasagarre (Bizi Puskak ("Pieces of Life", 1995)), Cano (Norbait dabil sute eskilarean ("There's Someone on the Fire Escape", 2001) and Jon Benito (Aingurak erreketan, ("Angels in the Rivers", 2001)).