The Basque Country: A Cultural History (Landscapes of the Imagination)

The Basque Country is a land of fascinating paradoxes and enigmas. Home to one of Europe's oldest peoples and most mysterious languages, with a living folklore rich in archaic rituals and dances, it also boasts a dynamic modern energy, with the reinvention of Bilbao creating a model for the twenty-first-century city. In The Basque Country , Paddy Woodworth takes us on a sweeping tour of this enchanting land. We discover a small territory which abounds in big contrasts, ranging from moist green valleys to semi-desert badlands, from snowy sierras to sandy beaches, from harsh industrial landscapes to bucolic beech woods. The book reveals how this often idyllic scenery forms the backdrop for a land of ancient and modern culture, where Basque poets still compose spontaneous stanzas in public contests and where strange age-old sports--rock lifting, goose decapitation--are still held at fiestas. Likewise, the region has made important contributions to modern culture, through novelists like Bernardo Atxaga, sculptors like Eduardo Chillida, painters like Zuluoaga, and cineastes like Julio Medem. And of course Bilbao's flagship museum, the Guggenheim, designed by Frank O. Gehry, may be the best work of architecture of the last century. Here then is a marvelous guide to the culture and landscape of one of the most intriguing places on Earth. Land of stone, iron, glass : land of the Basques Wherixe are we, exactly?, and what will we call this place? A short version of a long history : from the Stone Age to the Civil War Bai, bai, Urdaibai : cave paintings, painted trees, tree of Gernika The fronton at the heart of life : the power and beauty of pelota Cinco villas : Pio Baroja, flying Mari, sword dances, and sorcery Gastronomy : some answers to the most urgent Basque question Wow, Bilbao! : the transformation of a tough city From the music of labour, to music as a labour of love Obaba in Asteasu : the Basque village as a literary universe Serious fun : fiestas in Laguardia Don't mention the war : the dark side of Basque and Spanish politics Bay of Biscay : whales, Belle Epoque, decapitated geese, sexual politics Navaree, heartland or hinterland? Mountain high : pleasure and penitence and pagan gods Iparralde : the Basques on the other side of the mountains