- Xalbador Garmendia was a writer, a linguist and a translator, and left a long mark on these fields. Born in Zaldibia in 1932, he died at the age of 86 in Anoeta. Among other things, he was responsible for language in several journals and made important contributions in the creation of the unified Basque Country.
After studying Theology at the University of Rome, Xalbador Garmendia began writing theatre and was, together with Gabriel Aresti, one of the pioneers of the Basque theatre. In 1965 he won the first prize of the theatre section of the Floral Games of Ondarroa. On the occasion of this award, it was in Zeruko Argia that the first intimate interview was held: "The Basque literature, by desire and desire, has to look towards Europe, and the later the worse for us," he explained.
In that decade he worked as a corrector in Zeruko Argia and was later responsible for Basque in the Egin newspaper.
But one of Garmendia’s biggest contributions to the Basque country is the report written 50 years ago on the decline, which was one of the pillars of the congress for the unification of the Basque country in Arantzazu.
He also highlighted in the field of dance and translation, as he brought to the Basque well-known literary works. In addition, he was a translator to the High Council of Justice of the Basque Country and, among other things, translated the Gernika Statute.
