Joan Mari Torrealdai facts for kids
Joan Mari Torrealdai Nabea (born November 24, 1942 – died July 31, 2020) was an important writer, journalist, and sociologist from the Basque Country in Spain. He was a member of Euskaltzaindia, which is like the main group for the Basque language. He was born in a town called Forua in Biscay.
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Working for Basque Culture
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Joan Mari Torrealdai spent much of his life working to help the Basque language and culture. He kept track of all the books published in Basque every year since 1977.
He believed that the number of books published in Basque showed how well the Basque society was doing.
- In 1993, he wrote a book called Euskal idazleak gaur (Basque Writers Today). This book looked at writers who wrote in Basque.
- In 1997, he wrote Euskal kultura gaur (Basque Culture Today). This study explored the state of Basque culture.
Torrealdai also worked on a big list of all the books written in Basque during the 20th century. He wanted to create a special place to keep all this information about Basque books. His goal was to help the Basque language and culture grow and survive.
Early Work and Journalism
In 1967, Torrealdai became an editor for two important journals, Jakin and Anaitasuna. These journals helped share information and stories in Basque.
In 1985, he presented the first university paper written in Basque at the University of the Basque Country. This paper was about Basque Public Television (ETB) and how it used the Basque language.
In 1990, he helped create and manage the first modern Basque newspaper, Euskaldunon Egunkaria. He later became the president of its management team.
Important Books and Research
In 1993, he put together a large list of Basque books from the 20th century. This was a huge help for people studying Basque literature.
In 1998, he published a very important book called El libro negro del euskera (The Black Book of Basque). This book talked about all the challenges and attacks the Basque language had faced over many centuries.
He also wrote biographies about important people. In 1998, he wrote about Martin Ugalde, who was the first president of the newspaper Euskaldunon Egunkaria. He also wrote about censorship during Franco's time and how it affected Basque writers.
Challenges and Recognition
In 2003, Joan Mari Torrealdai faced a difficult time. He was arrested by the Spanish government as part of a case against the newspaper Euskaldunon Egunkaria. However, in 2010, he was found not guilty of all charges, along with others involved in the case.
In 2007, he became a full member of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language. This was a great honor for his work. In 2011, he took charge of the Academy's Azkue Library, which holds many important Basque books.
From 2015 to 2017, he was the Chairman of the PuntuEUS Foundation. This foundation works to promote the Basque language online.
Awards and Honors
Joan Mari Torrealdai received many awards for his hard work and dedication to the Basque language and culture. Some of these include:
- Euskadi Silver Prize (1997): For his book Euskal Kultura gaur (Basque Culture Today), which was a popular book at the San Sebastian Book Day.
- Euskadi Silver Prize (1998): For his book El libro negro del euskera (The Black Book of Basque Language), which was also very popular.
- Irun City Literature Award (1999): For his essay about Franco's censorship and the Basque issue.
- Honorific mention, Rikardo Arregi Journalism Prize (2007): For his contributions to journalism.
- Lauaxeta Prize (2010): Given by the local government of Bizkaia for his work in exploring and promoting the Basque language.
- Dabilen Elea prize (2011)
- Manuel Lekuona Prize (2015): Awarded by Eusko Ikaskuntza (the Basque Studies Society) for his important work.
See also
In Spanish: Joan Mari Torrealdai para niños
