Eli Tolaretxipi, Matías Mujika, Jon Gerediaga and Mikel Ayestaran will also receive the Basque Prize for Literature

Passenger Bodies – Eli Tolaretxipi – Odyssey – Translation by Matías Mujika – Name and Being: (About the Poetic Word) – Jon Gerediaga – and Stories of Gaza: Life Between Wars (Mikel Ayestaran) have won the Basque Literature Programme in the modalities of Literature in Spanish, Literary Translation into Basque, Essay in Basque and Essay in Spanish, as announced today by Ana Lopez Asensio, Director of Culture and Creative Industries of the Basque Government.

The winners of Narrugorri (Ixiar Rozas), Zurtz (Yolanda Arrieta) and El diablo sobre ruedas (Kike Ibáñez) have joined the winners of the modalities of Literature in Basque, Children's and Youth Literature in Basque and Illustration of Literary Work.

The jury has highlighted the quality of the poem by Passenger Bodies Eli Tolaretxipi (Ediciones Trea) and the author's linguistic and creative ability to combine certain images of surreal roots with portraits related to everyday reality.

Eli Tolaretxipi (San Sebastian, 1962) is an English professor, poet and translator at the EOI in San Sebastián. He has published several books of poems, including Amor muerto-Naturaleza muerta, Los lazos del número, El especulador, Edgar, Incidental and Clapotis.

The Prize for Literary Translation into the Basque Country has been awarded to Matías Mujika Franco de Medinaceli for his work Odyssey (Editorial Balea Zuria). The jury has described it as a monumental translation of one of the greatest monuments of universal literature.

The jury has also stressed that the translation demonstrates a deep knowledge of the Basque classics and traditional Bertsos, and that it manages to bring one of the main works of Greek classical literature to the reader in a pleasant and attractive manner, and has also put into value in the preamble his reflection on the process of translation.

Matías Mujikahas translated into Basque from French, English, German and Italian works by authors such as Goethe, Boccaccio, Maupassant, Joseph Roth and Louis-Ferdinand Céline. He also received the Basque Prize for Literature in 2017 for his translation of François Villon's Testament .

The Basque Essay Award will be awarded to Jon Gerediagafor his work Izena eta izan: (about the poetic word), edited by Pamiela. The jury has highlighted the author's ability to immerse himself in the power of the poetic word and share a reflection on the construction of meanings.

For the jury, the result is a high-quality literary essay that demonstrates a deep knowledge of a certain poetic tradition and manages to bring the reader into reflection.

Jon Gerediaga Goitia (Bilbao, 1975) is a poet, playwright and doctor of anthropology. In 2024 he won the Basque Prize for Literature in the form of Literature in the Basque Country with Zeru-lur liburua.

In the form of Essay in Spanish, EITB correspondent Mikel Ayestaran has been awarded for his work Histories of Gaza: Life Between Wars (Peninsula), which can also be read in Basque in the translation of Ibon Plazaola published by Alberdania.

According to the jury, the work combines journalistic rigor with a narrative construction of literary quality. The jury also notes that the work focuses on people living in conflict, providing an ethical and reflective approach to a complex historical and political reality.

The award ceremony for the Basque Literature Awards will take place on 20 November at 6 p.m. at the Basque Museum in Bilbao. Each recipient receives a financial prize of 18,000 euros. In addition, if the award-winning work is published in another language, he can receive additional assistance of 4,000 euros.