The Brooklyn Rail

Ramon Saizarbitoria was born in San Sebastián in 1944. He was one of the leaders of the cultural renewal movement that took place in the 1960’s. His first novel Egunero Hasten Delako—Because every day begins—(1969) is included in all anthologies and histories of literature as the first modern Basque novel. Ehun Metro—One hundred meters—his second novel, was seized by the Franco regime in 1974 and was not published until 1976. With Ene Jesus—My dear Jesus—(1976) winner of the Critics Prize for Literature, he took literary experimentation to the extreme, with an approach to literature that lead him to silence. After a nineteen-years’ editorial gap he published Hamaika pauso—The countless steps—(1995) winner of the Critics Prize for Literature; Bihotz bi. Gerrako kronikak—Love and war—(1996) winner of the Basque Country’s Prize for Dissemination; Gorde nazazu lurpean—Keep me underground—(2000), winner of the Basque Country’s Fiction Prize and of the Critics Prize for Literature; Gudari zaharraren gerra galdua—The old soldiers’ lost war—(2000); Rossetti-ren obsesioa—Rosetti’s obsession—(2001), and Kandinskyren tradizioa—Kandinsky’s tradition—(2003). After Martutene (2013), his latest novel is Lili eta biok (2015), winner of the Critics Prize for Literature.