Joseba Sarrionandia

Joseba Sarrionandia Uribelarrea (Iurreta, Biscay, April 13th 1958 – ) is a Basque writer and member of the independentist Basque separatist group ETA. He has written many books of poetry and short stories as well as novels. In 1985 he escaped from prison after being convicted as ETA member and since then has lived in secret as he continues writing.

Biography

He earned a Basque Filology PhD from the University of Deusto, Bilbao and started working as a Basque language teacher. He taught phonetics in the Bergara center of the UNED and also in the Udako Euskal Unibertsitatea and wrote pieces for"Zeruko Argia", "Anaitasuna", "Jakin" and "Oh Euzkadi" magazines. He started the group Pott Banda along with Bernardo Atxaga, Manu Ertzilla, Ruper Ordorika, Jon Juaristi and Joxemari Iturralde. He also created the "Ibaizabal" magazine. He worked with short narrations and also translated books, notably Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner".

In 1980, while member of ETA he was arrested by Spanish police and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Since then the realities of prison appeared in his writings. In 1985 San Fermin day (July 7) he escaped from prison with Iñaki Pikaea as there was a concert in the jail with Basque singer Imanol Larzabal, they hid themselves inside a loudspeaker. The Basque radical rock group Kortatu created the song "Sarri, Sarri" in honor of this. Since that day he lives in secret and the topic of banishment/exile is foremost in his writing. In his novel "Lagun Izoztua" (in Basque "The Frozen Friend") he writes about banishment. He has written books and poems which have been sung by different Basque singers as Mikel Laboa, Ruper Ordorika and Fermin Muguruza. There's also an audio book called "Hau da ene ondasun guzia" with his voice reading poems and many songs performed by different singers.

Works

* "Izuen gordelekuetan barrena". Bilboko Aurrezki Kutxa. Bilbo, 1981.
* "Narrazioak". Elkar, Donostia, 1983.
* "Intxaur azal baten barruan. Eguberri amarauna". Amnistiaren Aldeko Batzordea. Lizarra. 1983.
* "Ni ez naiz hemengoa". Pamiela. Iruñea, 1985.
* "Atabala eta euria". Elkar, Donostia, 1986.
* "Marinel Zaharrak". Elkar, Iruñea, 1987.
* "Marginalia". Elkar, Donostia, 1988.
* "Ez gara gure baitakoak". Pamiela. Iruñea, 1989.
* "Izeba Mariasunen ipuinak". Elkar, Donostia, 1989.
* "Ainhoari gutunak". Elkar, Donostia, 1990.
* "Ifar aldeko orduak". Elkar, Donostia, 1990.
* "Gartzelako poemak". Susa. Iruñea, 1992.
* "Han izanik hemen naiz". Elkar, Donostia, 1992.
* "Hnuy illa nyha majah yahoo". Elkar, Donostia, 1995.
* "Hitzen ondoeza". Txalaparta, Tafalla, 1997.
* "Hau da nire ondasun guzia". Txalaparta, Tafalla, 1999.
* "Lagun izoztua" Elkar, Donostia, 2001.
* "Kolosala izango da". Txalaparta, Tafalla. 2003.
* "Akordatzen". Txalaparta, Tafalla, 2004.

Translations

He has translated books by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Konstantino Kavafis, T. S. Eliot and Fernando Pessoa.

Prizes and recognition

* Ignacio Aldekoa Prize
* Resurreccion Maria Azkue Prize
* Bilbao City Council Prize
* Spanish Literature critics', Basque Narrative Prize

One of his poems

The blacksmith slave
Captive in the rainforests of the West
they brought yo to Rome, slave,
they gave you the blacksmith work
and you make chains.
The red iron that you carry out the oven
can be adapted as you want,
you can make swords
in order that your people could break the chains,
but you, this slave,
you make chains, more chains. [http://euskalpoesia.wikispaces.com Translation source]

External links

* [http://www.armiarma.com/emailuak/izuen/ Izuen gordelekuetan barrena] , online poems.
* [http://www.susa-literatura.com/cgi-bin/liburuak.pl?lib=poes14 Gartzelako poemak] , online poems.
* [http://euskalpoesia.wikispaces.com Project for translating a poem into as many languages as possible using wiki technology]