Robert Laxalt, the Voice of the Basques in American Literature (Paperback)

by David Río; translated by Kristin Addis.
(Occasional Papers Series, no. 13)

Robert Laxalt (1923–2001), an American-born writer of French Basque descent, is the literary spokesperson of the Basque Americans. With his novels and non-fiction works on the Basques of the American West, and especially his highly successful and influential Sweet Promised Land, Laxalt ended the literary and even social invisibility of Basque immigrants in the U.S., rescuing them from silence and oblivion. His works served to highlight the figure of the Basque sheepherder in the American West, establishing him as a literary archetype. Laxalt will be remembered for his several works set in the Basque Country as well, where he explores his roots and masterfully depicts the traditional way of life in the land of his ancestors. The present volume is the first book-length treatment of the life and work of Robert Laxalt, analyzing his representation of the varied settings, characters, motives, and themes employed by the author to portray both Old and New World Basque cultural reality.

192 pp., photos, index; paper (ISBN 978-1-877802-71-3) $24.95.