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Barcelona, Catalonia.  The eighth edition of Literaldia 2012 will begin tomorrow, organized by Barcelona’s Euskal Etxea, along with Basque courses by the Official Language School, the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the University of Barcelona (UB).  The festival is also supported by the Etxepare Basque Institute and the Basque Government along with various Catalan institutions.

The first event will take place tomorrow with Irakurle Kluba (reading club) at the Euskal Etxea, presenting the book Lehenago zen berandu (Earlier was Late) by Arantxa Urretabizkaia, under the direction of Aritz Galarraga.  The day after, journalist and “heretic feminist” Itziar Ziga will present her book Sexual Herria.

Literature and TV

On April 13 Jon Elordi will present Hitzen Kutxa (The Word Box) and will read some of the stories contained in the work.  Jon Elordi is a writer and philologist, as well as Basque language and culture professor at UAB.  On April 14 people will be invited on a literary tour through places in Barcelona portrayed in the novels by Eduardo Mendoza.

On April 18 philologist Ibai Atutxa will present his essay Kanonaren gaineko nazioaz and on April 19 the writer and journalist Haiser Etxeberria will give a talk on literature and television at the UAB.  After thirteen years of directing and presenting the program Sautrela on ETB, Etxeberria, is considered an expert.  In the afternoon, Etxeberria will participate in a roundtable on the same topic at the Euskal Etxea in which wil also include Aritz Galarraga and Beñat Sarasola. 

Sant Jordi

On April 20 there will be Basque and Catalan storytelling and on April 21 the singer Estankona will give a concert at the Euskal Etxea.  On April 23, Saint Jordi Day, the Basque club will have a booth at Las Ramblas where the Basque writer, Xamar, will be autographing copies of his book Orhipean, the Country of the Basque Language, the translation into Catalan of a well-known work on Basque culture. The book’s translation was supported by the Euskal Etxea.

The next event will take place on April 26, with one of the best known voices on Basque radio, the journalist Mariano Ferrer, who will present his book What I said and What I Say. On April 27, the group, the Sparteens, will play at the Euskal Etxea and on the 28 there will be stories set to music with the Zast Show!

More in May

Literaldia will continue in May and on the 2nd there will be a new session of the Irakurle Kluba (Reader’s Club).  This time they will be analyzing Iñigo Aranbarri’s novel Zulo bat uretan (A Hole in the Water).  On May 3, Basque students in Barcelona will participate in a contest inspired by the Basque TV program “Mihiluze.”

On May 4 three great women of Basque literatura will visit the Euskal Etxea: Mariasun Landa, Miren Agur Meabe and Arantxa Urretabizkaia, who will debate the topic “Utopia basca i escritura” (Basque Utopia and Writing).  This roundtable will be moderated by Mari Jose Olaziregi, Professor of Literature and Director for the Promotion of Euskera at the Etxepare Basque Institute. On May 5, the poetic-musical program “Haragizkoa,” by writer Edorta Jimenez, Musicians Rafa Rueda and Jaime Nieto and the photographer Joseba Barrenetxea will be presented. 

On May 10, cartoonist Irkus Zeberio will present his comic Cramond Island, and ending the festival, on May 12, there will be a Bertso-afaria at the Euskal Etxea with bertsolaris Igor Elorza and Agin Rezola. 

Literature via Twitter

Finally, among the new things of this year’s edition will be Literaldia on Twitter, where the Euskal Etxea will invite euskaltzales from all around the world to launch themselves into literary creation.  On the one hand, there will be two collective stories written (#ipuintzarra in Basque and #megaconte in Catalan) and on the other, they will be able to present micro stories through Twitter (#mikroipuina in Basque and #mikroconte in Catalan).

-Complete Literaldia 2012 program here