The Land Of My Fathers: A Son'S Return To The Basque Country [Hardcover]

Robert Laxalt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999 | Series: Basque

In 1960, renowned Nevada writer Robert Laxalt moved himself and his family to a small Basque village in the French Pyrenees. The son of Basque emigrants, Laxalt wanted to learn as much as he could about the ancient and mysterious people from which he was descended and about the country from which his parents came. Thanks to his Basque surname and a wide network of family connections, Laxalt was able to penetrate the traditional reserve of the Basques in a way that outsiders rarely can. In the process, he gained insight into the nature of the Basques and the isolated, beautiful mountain world where they have lived for uncounted centuries. Based on Laxalt's personal journals of this and a later sojourn in 1965, The Land of My Fathers is a moving record of a people and their homeland. Through Laxalt's perceptive eyes, and his wife Joyce's photographs, we observe the Basques' market days and festivals, join their dove hunts and harvests, share their humor and history, their deep sense of nationalism, their abiding pride in their culture and their homes, and discover the profound sources of the Basques' strength and their endurance as a people.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Robert Laxalt has long been recognized as one of America's finest writers; in this book, exploring a subject so close to his heart, his brilliance soars to new heights. His most recent novella, Dust Devils, was selected as one of the Best Books for Young Adults for 1999 by the Young Adult Library Services Association division of the American Library Association. The book was also selected by the New York Public Library for the 1998 Books for the Teen Age.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: University of Nevada Press (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874173388
• ISBN-13: 978-0874173383
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #423,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The language of the eyes", June 2, 2001

By 

Stephen Taylor (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Land Of My Fathers: A Son'S Return To The Basque Country (Hardcover)

Nevada writer Robert Laxalt's "The Land of My Fathers" is a description of life in the French Basque Country in the 1960s. Laxalt -- the son of Basques who immigrated to Nevada about 1910 -- spent 1960-61 and 1965-66 getting to know his parents' ancient homeland. Making use of his family ties, he succeeded in breaching the "impenetrable wall of Basque reserve" (in Rodney Gallop's words) in a way only a few outsiders have been able to do.

The book is not a straightforward narrative and Laxalt writes about much more than his own experiences. A collection of vignettes, histories, and folk-sayings, it is an exploration of the Basque character. We read about everything from "Basque troubadours" to the humanization of German soldiers stationed in the Basque lands during the occupation of the Pyrenees. Trying to capture the essence of this ancient people, Laxalt gives us glimpses of the "poetic truth" of the Basque land and Basque history, the emotional truth gleaned from "the language of the eyes." Of course the approach is not without its drawbacks, but for a book like this, "The Land of My Fathers" is remarkably free of immigrant-son's-come-home romanticism.

In addition to Laxalt's vivid prose poetry, many of his vignettes are interesting as anthropological descriptions of life in the "Pays Basque". Here, we encounter aspects of Basque folklife such as pigeon-hunting, contraband, dancing, the unique brand of "shepherd justice", and the "bohèmes" (literally "Bohemians", they are a poorly-known group of shunned outsiders -- not unlike the Gypsies -- who have lived in the Basque country for years). A couple of these "ethnological vignettes", in fact, appeared in the August 1968 issue of "National Geographic".

Although throughout one is struck by the Basques' indomitable ability to overcome adversity, unfortunately the beautiful culture described by Laxalt is rapidly slipping away -- if it has not, for the most part, slipped away already. The Spanish sector of the Basque lands has long been one of the most heavily industrialized in Europe and the French sector, although still largely rural, has seen the same kinds of cultural changes places all over the world have seen with the onslaught of globalization. Many things have changed for the better, and Laxalt certainly doesn't claim the past was perfect, yet it is difficult not to agree with him that "something of the romantic past has been lost." For all that, his many books are even more important, small safeguards against a rapidly deteriorating humanity.

If there were ten stars, "The Land of My Fathers" deserves them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent vignets, May 25, 2010

By 

C. Fox - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Land Of My Fathers: A Son'S Return To The Basque Country (Hardcover)

Enjoyed the book. As a Basque descendant with no connection to my ancestry, I found this short book a delightful view of Basque life. I anjoyed Laxalt's writing style also although I wish there had been color photos included.

If you are looking for a more detailed history, try History of the Basque Peoples. Really loved that book.