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Abstract
The work of Basque short story writer Eider Rodriguez (Errenteria, 1977) has garnered remarkable acclaim from contemporary critics and readers alike. In the realm of Basque literature—which often rolls into the common sea of politics and/or sentimentality—Rodriguez’s stories slickly swim their way between both waters; and fly inland as the Basque witches’ old saying goes, “sasi guztien gainetik, hodei guztien azpitik” [above all bushes, beneath all clouds]. Awarded with the Basque National Literature Prize in 2018, Rodriguez is the author of four short story collections: Eta handik gutxira gaur (Susa 2004), Haragia (Susa 2007), Katu jendea (Elkar 2010), Bihotz handiegia (Susa 2017) and the title of her first novel Erainkuntzarako Materiala (Susa 2021). Without resorting to the apparel of great events, Rodriguez’s bare sketches explore the everyday, small world of unnamed cities, in small circles from family to local ambiance. Plainly focused on such a microcosm, the author portrays a nuanced milieu of pervasive violence within the interactions of her characters with families, neighbors, friends, lovers, and—none the least—themselves. Bereft of any political correctness, Rodriguez represents a rich universe of frustrated, bored, fearful, and angry characters (Gabilondo Citation2019). This article examines the author’s fictional world of ubiquitous anger and resentment and explores the origin and scope of such violence by interpreting it as a metaphor of the personal and social anxieties triggered by politics in the—allegedly peaceful—contemporary Basque Country.
Notes
1 Unless otherwise stated, only references to the original Basque texts have been translated into English. All translations have been rendered by the author of the article unless stated otherwise.
2 “Intimitatea da legea ondoriorik gabe urratzeko esparru bakarra”.
3 The Euskadi Literature Prizes are literary awards organized annually since 1997 by the regional Basque Government’s Department of Culture. There are six categories: Basque Literature, Translation, Children’s and Young People’s Literature in Basque and Spanish Literature, Illustration (added in 2009), and Essay in Basque and Spanish (added in 2010). The regional Basque government is a local political administration that comprises three of the historic territories of the greater Basque Country which is in turn formed by seven provinces. Territoriality constitutes a historic political vindication of Basque (defensive) nationalism.
4 Utzidazue arraro sentitzen. (…)/Ez den herri bateko idazlea,/ez den herri bateko erakundeak emaniko saria jasotzen,/ez den mintzaira batean hizketan,/irakurtzen ez den hizkuntza batean idazten./Pasa den mendeko ipuin mexikar bat dirudi./Distopia bat. Distopia eder bat tarteka.
5 We refer here to the many foreign media reporters (Bitong, Cooper, Coughlan, Muschamp, Ockham, Balle) that have recently underlined the positive impact of ETA’s disbarment in the (re) flourishing of the Basque Country as an educational, industrial, and touristic power and have underscored the “relative economic prosperity of the Basque Autonomous Community within Spain, social assistance schemes, tourist record figures deriving, among other factors, from Bilbao’s urban rebirth and the outstanding culinary blossoming that has rocketed the Basque region internationally” (Ariznabarreta, Notes 19). This is the state of affairs to which Joseba Gabilondo critically refers to as “The Basque Oasis”: “The ideology of the Basque Oasis refers to the fact that in the middle of the Spanish “desert”—a desert defined by violence, economic decline, and corruption—the Basque Country (The Basque Autonomous Community and, sometimes, Navarre) is an oasis of economic prosperity, social assistance, human rights, and political transparency” (“Posimperialismo” 17).
6 “Isiltasuna paretei itsatsirik. Harrien mututasunak herriarenarekin bat egiten zuen. Ez zen inoiz hildakoei buruz hitz egiten, eta haien senideei ez zitzaien keinu ulerkorrik eskaintzen.”
7 “Mamuei buruz irakurtzeko ez da hainbeste aukera izaten. Errazagoa da fantasiak asmatzea, eta irakurtzeko ere errazagoak dira. Gizarteak mamuen Kontrako defentsak ditu. Egunkariak eta telebista mamuen mundua estaltzeko egiten dira, errealitatearekin eta fantasiekin mamuak estali nahiz antolatzen den espektakulu eder, ikaragarri eta etengabearekin. Nahiko arrakasta da du espektakuluak, hala ere beti geratzen da zirrikitu bat mamuak ugal daitezen, eta ugaltzen dira literaturan esate baterako. Literatura minoritarioa eta ilunagoa dela esaten denean, horixe adierazten da, mamuak libreago dabiltzala esparru horretan. Ez dut E.R. ezagutzen, dakidan gauza bakarra da egun baten mamu bihurtu zela.”
8 Rodriguez describes the Errenteria of her childhood with sheer lack of lyricism: “De niña, Rentería era un lugar hostil, pestilente, cuando llovía no había lugar donde guarecerse, cuando hacia sol no había rio en el que refrescarse. Los disturbios eran en los ochenta algo cotidiano, también a veces nos sacudía la muerte: cierta mañana encontramos a un joven que yacía sobre la acera” (Correspondencias 149).
9 The letter is part of the book Correspondencias/ Korrespondentziak. The publication stemmed from a project sponsored by Donostia/San Sebastian 2016 European Capital of Culture in which different writers established correspondence to discuss the relationship between literature and conflict.
10 The titles of the author’s short story collections and other publications will be henceforth cited in their abbreviated forms while the titles of short stories will be referenced in full in an attempt to guide the reader in an otherwise deluge of repetitive mentions. In the rare exceptions when a short story has been translated into English the reference will be made to the translated version.
11 “(…) oskol horren barruan dagoena ez naiz ni. (…) Ez dut esaten dudana ulertzen”.
12 “Es decir, personificaciones desechadas, parodias de nosotros mismos, piezas rotas que nos han conformado hasta hace un minuto.”
13 Idatzi nahi dugunaz idazten al dugu? Zeri buruz idatzi behar dugu idatzi nahi genukeenaz idatzi ahal izateko? Zein dira ordaindu beharreko peajeak? Zeri buruz idatz dezakegu eta zeri buruz ez? Nola eragiten diete gure gorputzek gure testuei? Nola idazten da gorputz hauetatik sortutakoa? Zein dira gure lastak eta nola egin askatzeko?
14 «Barruan neraman isilean, ezin idatzizko iruditzen zitzaidan»
15 Guztionak diren hitzekin norberaren esperientzia kontatu, horra benetako proiektu politiko sozialista bat, edo komunista litzateke? Betaurreko gabe betaurreko bila ibiltzea bezalakoa izango da.
16 Ez dauzkate gureak bezalako izenak. Ez dauzkate gureak bezalako orrazkerak. Guk ez dugu bisuteriarik ez plastikozko ilerako pintzarik ez adin batetik aurrera ile luzerik ibiliko, guk ez. Ez dauzkate gureak bezalako oinetakoak. Amak ume-umetatik irakatsi dit beraiengandik bereizten. Gu ez gara builosoak, haiek bai. Guk ez ditugu gure kontuak haizeratzen, haiek bai. (…) Guk ez dugu haien mintzaira hitz egiten, haien hizkuntza bai. Gu ez gara udan desagertuko jatorrizko herrira itzultzeko, gure herri bakarra hau da, uda zein negu, gure izen-abizenak gorabehera hemen eta orain hasten da gure historia.
17 “Edo zer uste duzu, hizkuntza galtzeak ez duela zauririk uzten?”
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Larraitz Ariznabarreta
Larraitz Ariznabarreta obtained her doctorate at the University of Deusto, Bilbao. Before joining the Center for Basque Studies in 2019 she taught at Boise State University and the University of Deusto. Her fields of research deal with the analysis of various expressions of Basque culture and their relations with power structures. Larraitz is the author of the books Martin Ugalde: Cartografías de un discurso (Ekin, Buenos Aires, 2015), Notes on Basque Culture: The aftermath of epics (CLAEH, Montevideo, 2019), and Memory and Emotion: (Basque) Women’s Stories. Constructing Meaning from Memory (co-edited with Nere Lete) (CBS Press, 2022).