Etxepare Basque Institute funded the translation of 23 Basque literary works in 2023

Translations serve as a bridge to help share Basque literature internationally. The Etxepare Basque Institute awards several grants each year to support the translation of Basque literature and to assist in spreading awareness of Basque authors and their works in the global market. The grants are utilised to sponsor the translation of full works and literary samples into various languages, and to facilitate international travel for individuals within the literature community.

The Institute funded the translation of 23 books in 2023. Twenty-seven proposals were submitted were submitted and €33,209.65 was earmarked to support the translation of these works. The publications have been translated into Spanish, Catalan, Galician, German, Amharic, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Slovenian, Macedonian and Italian. Fifteen of the books translated were originally written in Basque and the rest in Spanish.

 The works translated into Galician were ‘Txano y Óscar 7 - La tumba del emperador tigre’ (Xarpa Books) and ‘Txano y Óscar 8 - La doble águila’ (Xarpa Books) by Julio Santos Garcia; ‘Amek ez dute’ (Aira Editorial) and ‘Berriz Zentauro (Aira Editorial) by Katixa Agirre; and ‘Eraikuntzarako materiala’ (Aira Editorial) by Eider Rodriguez.

 ‘Txano y Óscar 4 - El secreto de los dogón’ (Xarpa Books) and ‘Txano y Óscar 5 - El conjuro escarlata’ (Xarpa Books) by Julio Santos Garcia were translated into German.

‘El desorden de los últimos días’ (Ediciones El Gallo de Oro) and ‘Seis poetas bajo la luna’ (Ediciones El Gallo de Oro) by Beñat Arguinzoniz were translated into Portuguese.

 ‘Sortaldekoak’ (Manifest Llibres) by Hedoi Etxarte and ‘Ni ez naiz Mikel Laboa’ by Harkaitz Cano, Joseba Larretxe and Unai Iturriagaren (Pol·len edicions) were translated into Catalan.

Two books were translated into Macedonian: ‘Marta ante el espejo’ (Skaznuvalka) by Teresa Calo and Patxi Zubizarreta, and ‘Eztia eta ozpina’ (Skaznuvalka) by Patxi Zubizarreta.

Several works were translated into Slovenian: ‘Marta ante el espejo’ (Založba Malinc) by Teresa Calo; ‘Martin’ (Založba Malinc) by Alaine Agirre; ‘Ilezuri’ (Založba Malinc) by Kris Etxabe; ‘Haltzaren muinoa’ (Založba Malinc) by Anjel Lertxundi; ‘Eztia eta ozpina’ (Založba Malinc) by Patxi Zubizarreta; and ‘Grigor eta erlea’ (Založba Malinc) by Juan Kruz Igerabide.

‘Etxeko urak’ (Edizioni Ensemble) by Leire Bilbao was translated into Italian; ‘Kandinskyren tradizioa’ by Ramon Saizarbitoria into Bulgarian (Plamar); ‘Amek ez dute’ (Hohe Publisher) by Katixa Agirre into Amharic; and ‘Udaberria Sutan’ (El desvelo Ediciones) by Joxe Mari Iturralde into Spanish.

Twelve of these translations are already available. The rest will be published in the coming months.

´Material de construción´ (Eraikuntzarako materiala), Eider Rodriguez

Language: Galician

Published by: Aira Editorial

Translated by: María Ramos Salgado

Eider Rodríguez weaves together the fragments of a father to reconstruct the story of a family, a specific era, and a particular location from diverse viewpoints. The narrative, with its brutal and stark style, illuminates the hidden passages through which love and life flow within the confines of the family setting.

´De novo centauro´(Berriz Zentauro), Katixa Agirre

Language: Galician

Published by: Aira Editorial

Translated by: Isaac Xubín

‘Berriz zentauro’ is a science fiction novel set in the near future, exploring topics like climate change, virtual reality and technology. The main character undertakes a trip to Paris to investigate the life of Mary Wollstonecraft. The narrative delves into how technology impacts our understanding of reality and challenges traditional binaries in areas such as gender and sexuality.

‘Els orientals’ (Sortaldekoak), Hedoi Etxarte

Language: Catalan

Published by: Manifest Llibres

Translated by: Lluís Riera Callís

Las Landas and the bust of Marx, the Plaza del Castillo in Pamplona, the ICU and Louise Michel, Christmas 1998 in Lisbon, the militia battalion of the Dragons in Intxorta. Those who share libraries, those who return from a general strike with a broken voice and those who enjoy sex without shaving.

Hedoi Etxarte´s third collection of poems looks at the details of everyday life. It takes us into an imaginary of revolt from our everyday life.

‘Jo no soc Mikel Laboa’ (Ni ez naiz Mikel Laboa), Harkaitz Cano, Joseba Larretxe and Unai Iturriaga

Language: Catalan

Published by: Pol·len edicions

Translated by: Jon Elordi

Mikel Laboa is revered as the most cherished Basque singer, serving as a reflection of an era, a region, and a community. His innate drive to evolve tradition, his passion for pushing boundaries, and his capacity to cathartically express the community´s anguish through his voice are undeniable.

But how does one paint a picture of the life of a shaman? A life that was playful and groundbreaking cannot be confined to a rigid retelling. In this graphic novel, the authors have departed from conventional biographical methods, embracing the spirit, atmosphere, and humour found in Laboa´s songs. They invite us to a place where the gentle flow of reality´s river converges with the boundless expanse of the sea of imagination.

‘Marta pred ogledalom’ (Marta ante el espejo), Teresa Calo

Language: Slovenian

Published by: Založba Malinc

Translated by: Veronika Rot

Marta is around seventeen – or at least she was when she crossed over to the other side of the mirror, to that empty, painless, irreversible eternity. The mirror before her reflects not her image, but memories and sensations. The sense of liberation from no longer needing to pretend to eat, or worse, to consume food just to please her family, lingers within her.

In a theatrical monologue that reads like a story, Marta converses with herself candidly, with the rawness of her situation, smoothing out the rough edges of memories that ultimately evoke a sense of yearning for the Marta she once was.

´Txano und Óscar 4: Das Gemheimnis der Dogon´ (Txano y Óscar 4 - El secreto de los dogón’), Julio Santos Garcia

Language: German

Published by: Xarpa Books

Translated by: Marilena Julia Sophie Opferkuch

Txano, Oscar, and the entire family journey to Mali to aid a friend and his mother, embarking on an incredible adventure. Amidst the Dogon land, they encounter ancient tales of extraterrestrial beings and a startling reality.

´Txano und Óscar 5: Die scharlachrote Beschwörung´ (Txano y Óscar 5 - El conjuro escarlata’), Julio Santos Garcia

Language: German

Published by: Xarpa Books

Translated by: Marilena Julia Sophie Opferkuch

Txano and Óscar go to the international festival of magic and mentalism in Twin City to see the world´s greatest magicians. There they meet the heirs of Merlin the magician and must help recover a powerful amulet with the power to destroy the world.

´Txano e Óscar 7: A tumba do emperador tigre´ (Txano y Óscar 7 – La tumba del emperador tigre’)

Language: Galician

Published by: Xarpa Books

Translated by: Antía Veres Gesto

The characters journey to China to explore the renowned Terracotta Warriors. Unveiling the mystery behind this ancient army will directly involve the protagonists.

‘Martin’, Alaine Agirre

Language: Slovenian

Published by: Založba Malinc.

Translated by: Barbara Pregelj.

This is a tenderly illustrated album narrated in the first person by a child who describes, page by page, what his friend Martin is like.

‘Sivček’ (Ilezuri), Kris Etxabe

Language: Slovenian

Published by: Založba Malinc

Translated by: Barbara Pregelj

This story is based on a real event that took place over ten years ago. A bear from the North Pole washed up on the southern coast of Argentina and all the experts said it swam at least 2,000 kilometres. This astonishing feat was driven by a somber reality: due to global warming affecting their natural habitat, polar bears are forced to seek sustenance elsewhere to survive.

This is why polar bears are on the long list of endangered animals. This gripping story raises awareness among children about the causes and impacts of climate change, encouraging them to think about possible solutions.

‘Grigor in čebela’ (Grigor eta erlea), Juan Kruz Igeranide

Language: Slovenian

Published by: Založba Malinc

Translated by: Maja Sabec and Ursa Gersak

Grigor, like all children, is exploring the world. He makes some good friends along the way and, most notably, he is accompanied by a bee in the four delightful tales in this book: ‘De día en un parque’,’De noche en un zoo’, ‘Una temporada en el hospital’ and ‘Una vacaciones en el caserío’. Illustrated by Concetta Probanza.

‘La primeravera en llamas’ (Udaberria sutan), Joxe Mari Iturralde

Language: Spanish

Published by: El Desvelo Ediciones

Translated by: Joxe Mari Iturralde

Joxemari Iturralde ventures into the field of haiku honouring the essence of the traditional form with the playful and beautiful spirit of someone who is still impressed by beauty.

The 2024 call for submissions for the translation of complete works is open until 15 July AT! Itzulpenak: Literatura (2024). The call for submissions for the translation of literature samples into foreign languages – AT! Itzulpenak: literatura- laginak (2024) – and the call for travel grants to promote international mobility – AT! Literatura (2024) – are currently open.