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Ediciones Lauburu is a new project supported by members of the Arturo Campion Studies Center in Laprida, Argentina whose aim is to serve as a channel to diffuse research on Basque topics that is being carried out in the country. During its short life it has published three titles and is already preparing the fourth, a collection of writings by Cesar Arrondo, mainly on contemporary political history. 

Laprida, Argentina.  “Ediciones Lauburu was born last year during a talk by Professor Cesar Arrondo who we are friends with at the Arturo Campion Studies Center,” Nicolas Chaves, director of Lauburu explained to EuskalKultura.com.  “In this context the possibility of making a book out of research he had been working on for some time came up.  Since I had some publishing experience I offered myself to give him a hand in the process doing formatting and cover art, and that is how this project came about. Trying to give a slightly more formal framework to the printing of a book, and at the same time, projecting towards the future to be able to continue publishing knowing that members of the Center were constantly conducting research with publishing potential, but not always given the right conditions to do so.”

At the time of its presentation, Chaves said that his contributions consisted in helping above all in the “technical” part of the publication, and that even if he hasn’t formally trained in the area, he has learned a lot through this project – and other parallel projects – that are being developed.  “The project is very new, for example we just opened an account in Facebook with the name Ediciones Lauburu to increase our exposure.  Until now we have used word of mouth to let folks know about us and have been very well-received, not only in the Diaspora but also by the general public that motivates me to continue with the project.”

In just less than a year, there are three titles in the catalog: Los vascos de Gándara and Los vascos de Laprida, by Professor César Arrondo, and Nacionalismos y diásporas. Los casos vasco e irlandés en Argentina (1862-1922), by María Eugenia Cruset. “On Arrondo’s books I designed the covers with the help of Gonzalo Santos; and on Cruset’s book, on the other hand, with Alejandro Schmied.  The three books were printed at the Train in Motion workshop.  Now we are working on a fourth title Hojas para la formación also by Arrondo that can be described as a collection of writings or columns by him on various topics, but mainly on contemporary Basque political history.”

Copies can be purchased by contacting the publisher through Facebook or via email: nicolasjchaves@gmail.com. You can also request them directly from their authors.  “This is a new initiative and there is a lot of work to be done.  It is a self-managed project whose main goal is to help colleagues who need to continue spreading the Basque culture, the culture of our elders, from a constructive and ownership perspective and in this way contributing our grain of sand to the possibility of the Basque people being able to decide their own future.  To exercise their right to self-determination,” he said.