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[[ca:Esteban Urkiaga]]
[[eu:Lauaxeta]]
Lauaxeta:
Esteban Urkiaga Basaraz, also Estepan Urkiaga Basaraz, better known by his pseudonymous Lauaxeta (Lauquíniz, August 3rd 1905 – Vitoria, June 25th 1937) was a Basque poet and journalist. His pseudonymous comes from the abbreviation of the name of the Basque townhouse in which he was born. “Lau Haizetara” (which literally means “to the four winds”, that is, “in all directions”).
Since he was a child, he resided in Munguía, he was educated by the Jesuits in Durango, Azpeitia and Oña, places where he first approached the Euskera (Basque language) and met some other notable authors, such as Andima Ibiñagabeitia and Pío Montoya. His earliest religious vocation took him to the novitiate, but he left it to dedicate himself to the journalism and literature. He joined the Basque Nationalist Party, where he was in charge of several publications in the Basque language.
His first book of poems, Bide barrijak (New ways) came up to light in 1931 and, in 1935, Arrats beran (At the sunset), he abandoned the romantic tradition of the traditional Basque poets in both works. He also developed an important translation work of classic and European vanguard works into the Basque language, including some books by Federico García Lorca. He wrote some pieces of theatre, such as Asarre aldija (The anger) and Epalya (The verdict).
He was the co-founder of Euskaltzaindia, the Royal Academy of the Basque Language.
When the Spanish Civil War started and the Statutes of the Basque Autonomy was approved, he cooperated with the Basque Government by taking over publicity jobs at the head of several publications. He was an intendancy commander, serving in Bilbao, where he stood out for having hidden some priests who were running away from the republicans. On April 29th 1937, he went to Guernica and worked as a translator to show some French war reporters of “La Petite Gironde” the effects of the bombarding of the city by the Condor Legion. He was captured by the Franquist troops, judged by a War Court and sentenced to death. He was shot by Santa Isabel Cemetery in Vitoria two months later, despite the negotiations the Basque Government tried, in order to swap him for another prisoner.
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