Looking for Basque Info.
June 9, 2011 9:12 AM   Subscribe

Looking for Basque Info.

Hi, I'm looking for information about the Basque region along the Spanish/French border. I've Googled it, of course, but I'm looking for any resources that give me a deeper understanding of its history, culture, politics, language, etc.

Thanks in advance.
posted by gb77 to Society & Culture (9 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Though some debate the veracity of Kurlansky's historical claims, The Basque History of the World is still a very interesting read.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 9:18 AM on June 9, 2011 [2 favorites]




The Basque History of the World is still a very interesting read

Agree with this and the caveat. You'll get an easy to read overview which is good for starters. There was a popular movie about Basque shepherds [which are most of the Basque people you might meet or hear about in the US] called Artzainak. I first learned about Basque people via linguistics when I was in college, their language history is quite interesting. Places in the US like Elko Nevada have a high Basque population thanks to lots of local shepherding work and there are lots of restaurants and social clubs that will give you a feel for the culture. I hope everyone gets a chance to go to the Star Hotel at some point.
posted by jessamyn at 10:32 AM on June 9, 2011 [1 favorite]




Obabakoak by Bernado Atxaga is a novel based on a Basque village that may be of interest.
posted by ejaned8 at 11:44 AM on June 9, 2011


ps. the novel isn't meant to represent an actual Basque village by any stretch of the imagination but it's a good example of literature from the region.
posted by ejaned8 at 11:47 AM on June 9, 2011


Tagentially, I became interested in Basques after reading Gregory Martin's Mountain City, a memoir about growing up in northern Nevada that had Basque sheep shearers in it. They travel the world shearing sheep and are considered experts on sheep animal husbandry..
posted by readery at 12:51 PM on June 9, 2011


Response by poster: Thanks for the input so far, everyone.
posted by gb77 at 1:27 PM on June 9, 2011


I travelled around Southern Basque country in May - it's stunningly beautiful - the geography is amazing. This site has some good basic info, and this slim dictionary includes randomly interesting tidbits of cultural info.
posted by freya_lamb at 2:36 PM on June 9, 2011


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