Txillardegi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Txillardegi
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Txillardegi in 2007
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| Born | José Luis Álvarez Enparantza 27 September 1929 San Sebastián (Donostia), Spain |
| Died | 14 January 2012 (aged 82) San Sebastián (Donostia), Spain |
| Occupation | Linguist, politician, and writer |
| Language | Basque |
| Genre | Novel, Essay |
| Subject | Standard Basque, Basque nationalism |
| Notable works | Leturiaren egunkari ezkutua (1957) Huntaz eta hartaz (1965) Hizkuntza eta pentsakera (1972) Euskal Herria helburu (1994) |
José Luis Álvarez Enparantza (born September 27, 1929 – died January 14, 2012) was a very important person from the Basque Country. He was known by his pen name, Txillardegi. He was a linguist (someone who studies language), a politician, and a writer.
Txillardegi was born and grew up in the Basque Country. Even though he didn't learn the Basque language until he was 17, he became one of the most influential people in Basque nationalism (a movement to protect Basque identity) and culture in the second half of the 20th century. He helped start a group called ETA, but he left in 1967 because he disagreed with their political ideas.
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Txillardegi's Writing and Studies
Txillardegi studied engineering at the University of Bilbao. He also studied linguistics at the University of Paris. In 1957, he became a member of the Euskaltzaindia, which is the Academy of the Basque Language. This academy adopted many of his ideas for how to write and use Standard Basque.
He played a big role in making the Basque language more uniform. He believed that for smaller languages to survive, they needed to be able to talk about modern science and technology. He thought that a standard language was key to this. He also believed that knowing the Basque language was a main way for a person or the country to show they were Basque.
Txillardegi was also a famous writer and linguist. He used other pen names like Larresoro, Igara, and Usako. His writing was influenced by thinkers like Kierkegaard and Sartre. He wrote many books about the Basque language and its grammar. He also wrote novels and essays about politics.
His book Leturiaren egunkari ezkutua (1957) is seen as the first modern novel written in Basque. It marked a new beginning for Basque literature. Other important books include the novels Haizeaz bestaldetik (1979) and Putzu (1999). His influential essays include Huntaz eta hartaz (1965) and Hizkuntza eta pentsakera (1972).
Awards and Recognition
Txillardegi won several awards for his work. In 1968, he won the Txomin Agirre award for his novel Elsa Scheelen. He also won the Andima award in 1969 for books that helped teach mathematics. In 1980, he won the Silver Lauburu for his book Euskal Gramatika.
In the 1970s, Txillardegi helped start the Euskal Herrian Euskaraz movement. This group worked to support the Basque language. In 1982, he started teaching at the University of the Basque Country. He later became a professor emeritus there, which means he was a retired professor who still kept his title.
His work is well-documented in the Inguma database. This database lists 122 of his creations, including papers, books, and talks.
Txillardegi's Political Journey
When he was young, Txillardegi was a member of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV). He worked to protect and study the Basque language. He believed the language was the foundation of Basque identity.
Later, Txillardegi became disappointed with the PNV. In 1959, he was one of the young nationalists who helped create ETA. He was a key leader in the cultural part of this movement. In 1961, he had to leave the country and lived in Paris and Brussels. He returned in 1967. In 1976, he and Iñaki Aldekoa formed a political party called Euskal Sozialista Biltzarrea (ESB).
In 1977, Txillardegi helped found Herri Batasuna. He was elected as a senator for this group in the first elections. A senator is a type of lawmaker.
Over time, he came to believe that the armed struggle was not the right path. For a while, he was active in the Aralar. In the 2008 elections, he ran for senator again for the Eusko Abertzale Ekintza party.
See also
In Spanish: Txillardegi para niños
