Robert Laxalt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Laxalt
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| Born | September 25, 1923 Alturas, California, United States
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| Died | March 23, 2001 (aged 77) Reno, Nevada, US
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Employer | University of Nevada, Reno |
| Spouse(s) | Joyce Nielsen Laxalt |
| Children | 3 (Bruce, Monique, and Kristin) |
Robert Laxalt (born September 25, 1923 – died March 23, 2001) was an American writer with Basque roots from Nevada. He was known for his books about the Basque people and life in the American West.
Contents
Robert Laxalt's Life Story
Robert Laxalt was born in 1923 in California. His parents, Dominique and Theresa Laxalt, had moved to the United States from France in 1906. They came to America to herd sheep. Robert's brother, Paul Laxalt, later became a famous politician. Paul served as the Governor of Nevada and then as a United States senator.
After finishing high school in Carson City, Robert went to Santa Clara University. He then studied at the University of Nevada at Reno.
Starting a Writing Career
Robert Laxalt began his career as a journalist. He worked for a news company called United Press International. Later, in the 1950s, he started his own news service in Nevada.
In 1957, Laxalt published his second book, Sweet Promised Land. This book became very popular and is still his most famous work. It tells the story of Robert traveling with his father back to France. Robert Laxalt wrote more than a dozen books. Many of them, like Sweet Promised Land and The Basque Hotel, were based on his family's real history or were semi-fictional stories.
In 1961, Robert Laxalt started the University of Nevada Press. This is a publishing company for books. He was its first editor.
Exploring Basque Culture
Robert Laxalt helped many people in the Western United States learn about Basque culture. The Basque people come from a region in the Pyrenees mountains between Spain and France.
Family Life and Basque Hotels
Robert's family faced tough times during the Great Depression. This was a period when many people lost their jobs and money. His father, Dominique, worked hard to make a living. Robert's mother heard about a Basque hotel for sale in Carson City called the French Hotel. The family bought it, and the business did well.
Basque hotels were very important for Basque sheepherders. They were like a "home away from home." Here, the herders could speak their own language, play cards, and enjoy traditional food. These hotels helped keep the Basque culture alive in America.
Robert's father, who loved being outdoors, found it hard to stay in the hotel all the time. He missed running sheep in the mountains. Eventually, he bought more sheep and land. He didn't want to have a very large sheep business again, though, because it was too risky.
Basque Identity in America
The Laxalt family knew many other Basque families in the area. They would often travel to visit them. Robert's father mostly hired Basque sheepherders. He believed Basques were very dedicated to their sheep.
In town, Basque people often wore their best suits every day. This showed their pride and how they wanted to present themselves. Robert Laxalt's writings helped share the unique stories and feelings of the Basque people in America.
Robert Laxalt's Books
Here are some of the books written by Robert Laxalt:
- The Violent Land: Tales the Old Timers Tell. Reno: Nevada Publishing Co., 1950.
- Sweet Promised Land. New York: Harper & Row, 1957.
- A Man in the Wheatfield. New York: Harper & Row, 1964.
- Nevada. New York: Coward McCann, 1970. This was a children's book.
- In a Hundred Graves: A Basque Portrait. University of Nevada Press, 1972.
- Nevada: A Bicentennial History. New York: Norton, 1977.
- A Cup of Tea in Pamplona. University of Nevada Press, 1985. This book was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
- A Basque Hotel. University of Nevada Press, 1989. This book was also nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
- A Time We Knew: Images of Yesterday in the Basque Homeland. University of Nevada Press, 1990.
- The Child of the Holy Ghost. University of Nevada Press, 1992.
- A Lean Year and Other Stories. University of Nevada Press, 1994. This book contains 16 short stories.
- The Governor's Mansion. University of Nevada Press, 1994.
- Dust Devils, University of Nevada Press, 1997.
- A Private War: An American Code Officer in the Belgian Congo. University of Nevada Press, 1998.
- The Land of My Fathers: A Son's Return to the Basque Country. University of Nevada Press, 1999.
- Time of the Rabies. University of Nevada Press, 2000.
- Travels With My Royal: A Memoir of the Writing Life. University of Nevada Press, 2001.
