Patxo Telleria, delighted back from Slovenia

The Basque author Patxo Telleria is over the moon, back from Slovenia. There, he has seen his own play, “Pankreas”, by actors of the Theatre, Radio, Film and Television Academy in Ljubiana at the Borštnikovo Srečanje Festival of Maribor. Although for him it was like “listening to Martians”, the laughter of the audience, the echo of the media and the happiness of the organizers ensured the success of the play.

In this edition, held from 17 to 26 October, the program focused on the play of the Spanish State: they have chosen five authors, including the Basque Patxo Telleria, as an initiative of the Etxepare Basque Institute. The festival has selected a work by each of the authors -in the case of Telleria, "Pankreas"-, translated them into Slovenian language and published them in a book.

After the play, the writer took part in a roundtable with the audience, and the festival also allowed the Basque author to present his work to international critics and programmers. The media was also interested and he offered an interview at the local TV.

In the words of its author, "Pankreas" is "a contemporary tragicomedy" written in verse; in fact, it is the first play written in verse in Basque language: "vasconum Primitiae theater." "Pankreas" tells the tragicomic story of three friends. One urgently needs a pancreas transplant. Another one plans to commit suicide within a year, to avoid Alzheimer disease. The third one asks the latter to donate his pancreas to the first one. From that moment the events rush, obeying an axiom of modern physics: everything that can happen, oddly enough, sooner or later just happens.

The Basque author Patxo Telleria is over the moon, back from Slovenia. There, he has seen his own play, “Pankreas”, by actors of the Theatre, Radio, Film and Television Academy in Ljubiana at the Borštnikovo Srečanje Festival of Maribor. Although for him it was like “listening to Martians”, the laughter of the audience, the echo of the media and the happiness of the organizers ensured the success of the play.

In this edition, held from 17 to 26 October, the program focused on the play of the Spanish State: they have chosen five authors, including the Basque Patxo Telleria, as an initiative of the Etxepare Basque Institute. The festival has selected a work by each of the authors -in the case of Telleria, "Pankreas"-, translated them into Slovenian language and published them in a book.

After the play, the writer took part in a roundtable with the audience, and the festival also allowed the Basque author to present his work to international critics and programmers. The media was also interested and he offered an interview at the local TV.

In the words of its author, "Pankreas" is "a contemporary tragicomedy" written in verse; in fact, it is the first play written in verse in Basque language: "vasconum Primitiae theater." "Pankreas" tells the tragicomic story of three friends. One urgently needs a pancreas transplant. Another one plans to commit suicide within a year, to avoid Alzheimer disease. The third one asks the latter to donate his pancreas to the first one. From that moment the events rush, obeying an axiom of modern physics: everything that can happen, oddly enough, sooner or later just happens.