Oxford University Press is publishing my new book, The Basque Country: A
Cultural History, in the US in this month.
This is a rather lighter piece of work than my previous book, Dirty War,
Clean Hands: ETA, the GAL, and Spanish Democracy (described by Paul
Preston as ‘one of the most important books about post-Franco Spain’).
However, with the Basques as a subject, political themes are rarely
entirely absent. It is not a 'history book' in any conventional sense,
but again, there is a lot of history in it. The ‘cultural history’
subtitle is a bit misleading – it was attached to the series,
‘Landscapes of the Imagination’, after I was commissioned to write it.
It is more like a travelers’ companion.
I have tried to offer the reader a series of informal points of entry to
Basque life – there are chapters on gastronomy, on the novels of
Bernardo Atxaga and Pio Baroja, on the reinvention of Bilbao through the
Guggenheim, on the anthropology of Joseba Zulaika, on pelota, and on
fiestas, including goose-decapitation in Lekeitio and gender wars in
Irún. It is unashamedly anecdotal and more than a little idiosyncratic -
San Sebastian gets only a few paragraphs, and the little village of
Asteasu gets a whole chapter. It was a great pleasure to research, an
opportunity to explore and highlight many of the positive aspects of a
region all too often only known abroad for violent conflict. One
reviewer described it as having been written out of “exasperated love
for the region” and I think that captures my approach very well.
The book was first published (by Signal Books) in Ireland and the UK in
September, and has sold well and received good notices. I attach a
review from the Financial Times, which describes it as “Shrewd and
affectionate…full of gems…a good eye for architecture and topography…a
splendid portrait of a bewitching land”. I also attach a digest of other
reviews, and a draft of the marketing flyer from Oxford. You can find
more reviews, including Joseba Zulaika’s very generous pre-publicity
review for the publishers, as well as reviews of Dirty War, Clean Hands,
my biography, a gallery of Basque photographs and other additional
material on my website, www.paddywoodworth.com
I am putting together an itinerary together for a reading/speaking tour
in the US, and already have bookings in train at about a dozen venues,
ranging from the Basque Center at the University of Nevada to Georgetown
and DePaul.
The dates run from mid-February to mid-March, though there is about a
week’s flexibility at either end. My international travel expenses are
already kindly covered by the Basque Center, but I would need support on
internal flights and accommodation, and I would be seeking a fee in the
range of $500 per reading. |
|
THE BASQUE COUNTRY
By Paddy Woodworth
Oxford University Press, 2007
DIGEST OF REVIEWS IRISH AND UK
EDITION TO DATE.
“Shrewd
and affectionate…full of gems…a good eye for architecture
and topography…a splendid portrait of a bewitching land.”
(David Gardner, Financial Times)
“He
weaves a rich tapestry from his catalogue of stories and
journeys but is not slow to criticise, often with acerbic
wit” (Don MacAuley, Sunday Busines Post)
“A
spectacular achievement by any standards. Definitive in
scope and lyrical in style…fit to set alongside any of the
finest travel writing of recent decades” (Craig Fitzsimons,
The Hot Press)
“A
marvellous book…subtle and ironic” (Bridget Hourican, The
Dubliner)
“A
terrific modern introduction to the Basque Country…succeeds
in showing us the complexities of the Basque struggle for
identity” (Dr Andreas Hess, The Irish Times)
“An
enthralling homage…deserves to rank as [the] companion of
Julio Medem’s film, ‘The Basque Ball’” Ciaran Carty, Sunday Tribune)
“easy
to read, rich in sensory detail, with perfect background
information on history and ethnography, balanced in
political and cultural perceptions, and incredibly
perceptive to the nuances of daily life…opens doors to the
vision, taste, enigma and struggle of the place like no-one
else in recent years.” (Dr Joseba Zulaika, University of
Nevada, pre-publication review)
Selected
as the week’s highlighted paperback in The Week, 17
Nov 2007. |
