One of the main difficulties in making an archaeological critique of the Basque literature is to maintain balance. Chronological equilibrium, industrial equilibrium, generic equilibrium, in the chosen books. And the generic in various ways: literature regarding the genders, but also the genders of the human species. So as I go back in time, I find it increasingly difficult to find Basque female writers. Here we have brought some, Lourdes Oñederra, Pilar Iparragirre, Amaia Lasa, Laura Mintegi, Arantxa Iturbe, Mayi Pelot. But trust me, it's not always an easy cause.

In this way, the essays of Itxaro Borda: The female writers are worth it. Anthology and some notes. Start with a very pertinent question: “Why should we distinguish between men and women when studying Basque literature?” But the answer didn't clarify the darkness for me. “When studying Basque literature, there would be no place to appear on the juicy lists of men with women’s names.” Why, perhaps because there have been no women's names? Because they've been silenced? The brief history of the Basque literature of wives repeated below could suggest the second. The textual anthology presented below introduces more doubts.

The prologue of the book is the demystifier – the Basque society with the matriarchal, for example: “XIX. This 20th century mythology is quite common in oppressed peoples who want freedom,” it is provocative – speaking of the purism of the young Basques of the time, “it is what a cure says” – the complainant – if the woman wants to keep her in the strict world of men, she has to write it as if she were a man”. Although then in the presentation of the writers he slips from time to time – emphasizing that Amaia Lasa is “Mikel Lasa’s sister”, or Mari Treku “Mattin the wife of bertsolari”. But then the anthology is almost in the nom-dropping: Lasa, Mintegi, Pelot, Trekuz above mentioned, Henriette Aire, Mari Ameztoy, Itziar Alkorta, Nerea Azurmendi, Teresita (sic) Irastortza, Mariasun Landa, Maite Lazkano, Marixan Minetaia, by his head. Some of them have made a long career as writers. Others have barely gone beyond anthology. And although I haven't found any new writers to bring it back, perhaps a little bit more to the list of names of anthology, what comforts me is that I've known the book and some pretty interesting notes.