Jose Mari Pastor
20-01-2018, BERRIA.
Abstract:
The article’s author regrets that Jose Luis Alvarez Enparantza, a.k.a. Txillardegi, has not yet received recognition and appreciation from the city authorities, 6 years on following his death.
Besides his political activity, always in the circle of Basque nationalism, Txillardegi was a great intellectual, who made high-value contributions on linguistics and literature. He was, for one, the major driving force behind standard Basque along with Koldo Mitxelena.
Regardless, no street or square bears the name of Txillardegi, nor the City Library either, as demanded by his friends. The city mayor has elaborated on his refusal to recognition emphasizing that he was a founder of the armed organization ETA, during Franco’s period. However, he seems to forget the breeding grounds for its establishment, i.e. ETA was founded against a vicious dictatorship, one that suppressed the Basque Country and its national rights. In the face of that, Txillardegi and the youth his age did not stand idly by or shy away. They committed, and still, the great intellectual figure from Donostia (San Sebastián) is paying dearly for it.
