Manuel Lekuona Award

2003. Jesus Atxa Agirre

2003. Jesus Atxa Agirre

This book is about the life and work of Jesus Atxa Agirre, the euskaltzale. Jesus Atxa, who was born in Aretxabaleta expended all his spirit and strength in various different fields, impelled by his love for the Basque language: the beginnings of the Durango Fair, magazines, books and movies, children?s stories, the birth of the ikastolas in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, his work in favour of ikastolas in Navarre, his work as the director of the San Fermin Ikastola in Pamplona, and as a historian of the ikastola movement. A huge work, without doubt, that has not yet been valued in its entirety. For example, current Basque education must be attributed, to a large extent, to the network woven village by village by Atxa for a long time. Apart from this, the book also illustrates the Atxa?s life: his childhood, the Republic, the events of the 1936 war, his last year in America, his return, Franquism, the post-Franquist era. Finally, the book provides us with the opportunity of reading about the history of the Basque Country during the 20th century summarised through Jesus Atxa?s eyes.