Jon Mirande

Jon Mirande (Paris, 1925 - 1972) was a Basque writer, born within a drunk family clay crusher which emigrated with the French capital in the search of work. His/her father, Jean Mirande, were originating in Garindein and his mother, Marie d' Ayphasorho, of Chéraute, two municipalities of the Soule. With Paris, they had two children: the elder one, Marie, who was born in 1923, and Jon, which was born two years later. After having finished its studies with the College Aragon, the Second world war not being completed yet, Jon entered to the Ministry for Finances as a translator and an employee. Since it was very young, it had felt attracted by the training of the languages, being devoted to reading all that fell between its hands about the Basque Langue. He did not regard this language his native tongue, but as an acquired language, being adult. In 1948, it was declared Christian and democratic, but with a certain direction criticizes, magnet of advantage the contents that the label of these two words.

It maintained close relations with the writer, originating in Biscay, Andima Ibiñagabeitia, under the influence of which it started to translate works of authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Per Denez, Nietzsche, García Lorca and well of others, but also to publish its own work in the review Euzko gogoa , which was directed by Jokin Zaitegi with the Guatemala. Some of its articles, published in the reviews Euzko Deya and Gernika , caused an enormous scandal in the files of orthodoxe nationalism.

Baited traveller, it visited the Brittany, the England, the Ireland, the Holland, the Germany and the Denmark. In 1954, the departure of Ibiñagabeitia, the friend of its heart, for America left a great vacuum in the life of Mirande. At that time, it bound friendship with Koldo Mitxelena, with which it took part in the Congress of Aranzazu in 1956; as from this moment, it published some studies in Egan , re-examined directed by Mitxelena. It as took share with the review Irrintzi , as Ibiñagabeitia had started to publish with Caracas. In 1959, it finished its novel Haur besoetakoa , often compared with Lolita of Vladimir Nabokov. Nevertheless, fruit of the intolerance of the time, it did not find any editor for his poems, not more than for its novel.

With Txomin Peillen, it created, in 1962, the review Igela, euskaldun heterodoxoen errebista , whose transitory life gave place to the publication only of six numbers. It also took part with Goulven Pennaod in the publication of the Breton review Ar Stourmer , with comments and the translation of poems. It also helped his large friend Jon Etxaide in the preparation of work Etxahun' in bertsoak gipuzkeraz (1969).

In 1970, the Lur editions published its Romance Haur besoetakoa , with a critical presentation of Gabriel Aresti. This novel obtained a great success and many editions in the future.

After having endured a psychic long illness, he died the December 28th 1972; according to all the indices, it would have committed suicide.

The remainders of the one of best and most modern of the Basque poets of the post-war period rest with the cemetery of Thiais.

External bond

bonds of Jon Mirande with the extreme French line

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