Since the 2012–2013 academic year, the Etxepare Basque Institute has maintained a lectureship in Basque language and Basque studies at the University of Bologna, integrated into the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures. As part of this lectureship, the Alma Mater Studiorum centre at the University of Bologna has crafted a cultural programme to mark the 50th anniversary of democracy in Spain.

The university has designed a programme that invites reflection on the changes and conflicts that emerged in the Spanish State after Franco’s death, in collaboration with cultural institutions from Spain, Catalonia and the Basque Country, among others. Thus, from 22 November to 12 December, the University of Bologna has organised presentations, meetings with writers and a series of audiovisual screenings.

On 26 November, Basque writer Iban Zaldua will take part in the programme ´50 anni di democrazia in Spagna´ (´50 Years of Democracy in Spain´), in a talk titled ‘La transición (el cuento) de nunca acabar’ (‘The Transition: The Never-Ending Tale’).

In this event, the author from Donostia will offer a retrospective look at the Spanish Transition through the lens of his short stories, blending criticism, irony, and literature. ‘La transición, ese (cuento) interminable’ is a thought-provoking reflection on the narratives that shape collective memory. A must-see event for anyone interested in contemporary history and storytelling.

Iban Zaldua

Iban Zaldua (San Sebastian, 1966) is, above all, a short story writer. His books include ‘La isla de los antropólogos y otros relatos’ (Lengua de Trapo, 2002), ‘Itzalak’ (Erein, 2004), ‘Mentiras, mentiras, mentiras’ (Lengua de Trapo, 2006), ‘Porvenir’ (Lengua de Trapo, 2007, Euskadi Literature Prize), ‘Biodiscografías’ (Páginas de Espuma, 2015), ‘Inon ez, inoiz ez’ (Elkar, 2014) and ‘Como si todo hubiera pasado’ (Galaxia Gutenberg, 2018). He has also written novels, ‘Si Sabino vivía’ (Lengua de Trapo, 2005) and ‘La patria de todos los vascos’ (Lengua de Trapo, 2009), and essays ‘Ese idioma raro y poderoso’ (Lengua de Trapo, 2012, winner of Euskadi Prize for best essay in Spanish). His latest published works are the epistolary exchange ‘Correspondencias’, together with the Scottish writer James Robertson (Erein-Etxepare Euskal Institutua, 2019), ‘Una visita al Museo de Armería’ (Azala-Borradores del Futuro, 2020). Zaldua was a contributer to the literary magazine ‘Volgako Batelariak’.