Bernardo Atxaga Books In Order

Obabakoak

Atxaga masterfully weaves the passionate stories of the inhabitants of Obaba the geography professor recalling his strange love affair with a woman he only knows through letters, the young teacher learning to ward off loneliness throughout a long, cold winter, the writer turning his life around with the discovery of an astonishing detail in an enlarged old photo school. A celebration of the power of books that transport us to unknown places and rescue us from a life of solitude, this novel brims with humor, irony, magic, and mystery. Description in Spanish: Obabakoak reune las apasionantes historias de los habitantes del territorio de Obaba: el profesor de geografia que recuerda su extrana relacion amorosa con una chica que solo conoce por sus cartas, la joven maestra que tiene que aprender a combatir la soledad a lo largo de un frio invierno, la relacion de un canonigo con un nino perdido en el bosque, el escritor que da un giro a su vida cuando descubre un detalle asombroso en la ampliacion de una vieja foto de la escuela…
Bernardo Atxaga hila con maestria todas estas historias para celebrar el poder de la palabra: las viejas cartas donde se consignan los secretos y las confesiones mas intimas, los recuerdos, los libros que nos llevan a otros lugares y que nos tienden una mano para rescatarnos de la soledad.

The Accordionist’s Son

A celebrated international author, listed among the 21 top writers for the 21st century The Observer, U.K. As David Imaz, on the threshold of adulthood, divides his time between his uncle Juan’s ranch and his life in the village, where he reluctantly practices the accordion, a tradition that his authoritarian father insists he continue, he becomes increasingly aware of the long shadow cast by the Spanish Civil War.

Letters found in a hotel attic, along with a silver pistol, lead David to unravel the story of the conflict, including his father s association with the fascists, and the opposition of his uncle, who took considerable risks in helping to hide a wanted republican. With affection and lucidity, Bernardo Atxaga describes the evolution of a young man caught between country and town, between his uncle the horse breeder and his political father. The course of David s life changes one summer night when he agrees to shelter a group of students on the run from the military police.

This is the most accomplished novel to date by an internationally celebrated writer. The Accordionist s Son is memorable for its epic scope from 1936 to 1999 and the details with which it sparkles in gorgeous prose. It is easy to understand why The Observer listed Atxaga as one of the top twenty one writers for the twenty first century.

Two Basque Stories

In Two Basque Stories, Bernardo Atxaga turns his attention to complex lives lived in the ‘rustic’ Basque village of Obaba and the creative process of identity. The first short story, ‘Two Letters All at Once,’ tells the story of Old Martin, a former sheepherder consigned to a generic Boise neighborhood. In order to make sense of his life, Martin narrates for an un understanding grandson the life altering deception that led him from his native village to the American West. In ‘When a Snake Stares at a Bird,’ a young city bred boy spending time in his grandfathers village comes to realize that things he once believed to be simple: nature, animals, and his grandfather, are much more complex than he could have imagined. Evocative illustrations by Antton Olariaga compliment these at once simple and deceptively complex stories.