Lankide:OI-11-a.saez

Xabier Amuriza

Xabier Cruz Amuriza Zarraonaindia is a basque bertsolari.He is known as Xabier Amuriza He was born is Zornotza, Bizkaia the 3rd of May of 1941.He has been a writer, bertsolariand a politician. In 1965 he became a priest and in 1968, in the dictature of Franco, he stayed seven years in prision in three diferent prisions.In 1976 he give up of being a priest.He has been a long time militing in politics and he has been a journalist too.He has been twice the winner in the bertsolaritza competition in Euskal Herriain 1980 and 1982.He has made many CD and books many of them about bertsolaritza.He has conposed many songs for some singers and he has brought many innovations.

In 1980 he brought many innovations to bertsolaritza. He first brought euskara batua which is the standt basque language form developed by Basque Language Acadamy in the late 60`s. His metaphores and new structures were unknown until he brought them. He made some innovations in size and melodies. It's said that with Amuriza started a new bertsolaritza era. In those years he was one of the most inportant teacher and agent in bertso eskolak (schools where is taught how to make bertsoak).

He has became the winner of the Euskal Herriko txapela twice ( the most inportant prize in bertsolaritza).Above the provincial level, there is the Euskal Herriko Bertsolari Txapelketa Nagusia ( the competition where is given the "txapela" to the winner) or "Great Bertsolari Championship of the Basque Country." This has been held (with considerable gaps due to the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War) since 1935 and involves local and regional heats prior to the finale. Xabier Amuriza won it in 1980 and 1982.

In 1990, he start in another kind of format leaving the squares. Nowadays he still goes on with that most.

This ones are some of his works:

Bertsolaritza books

Laurehun herri, mila bertso berri/ Four thousend countries a thousend of new bertso (1982,AEK-Elkar) Harri eta irri/ Stone and smile (1985, Elkar)

Autobiography

Enaz banaz, autobiografia/ If I'm not, I am. (1999, AEK-Bertsozale Elkartea).

Narrative

Agur sagar beltzaran/ Goodbay black apple (2001, Bertsolari)

Novel

Hil ala bizi/ Die or live (1983, Elkar) Oromenderrieta (1984, Elkar)

Poems

Menditik mundura/ From the mountains to the world (1977, the writer was the editor)

And here goes an extract of one of the most known poems of Xabier Amuriza.

EUSKAL HERRITIK APARTE Euskal Herritik aparte mila lengua bitarte esku ta hanka loturik preso Zamoran gauzkate. Pentsaturik zenbat urte behar dogun hemen bete pazientzia hartu beharko libre utzi arte.

Far away from Euskal Herria

Far away from Euskal Herria

between thousend of languages with our hand and legs tied they have us prisioners in Zamora.

Thinking about how many years we have to stay here we should take it easy until they give us freedom.