Scene of a fracture, close-up: On February 16, 2007, a group of writers on Boulevard Donostiarra declared that they no longer want their works to be taken into account in the Euskadi Literature Awards. “We begin to note that Sarion’s objective is not, in essence, to create an intellectual and literary activity submissive to the current authority,” the manifesto they have read to journalists, “Utikan Euskadi Sariak.” They have denounced the irregularities committed in the election of the prizes, affirmed that the technicians, critics and jurors who manage the literary system accept this type of behavior and have concluded that “the Euskadi Awards help to spread a scarce concept of literature”. The text has the support of over 30 writers and writers. The history of the literary awards granted by the Basque Government will be influenced in part since then: ten years have passed, but this same year three writers who were in the appearance of the Boulevard, knowing that they were among the finalists, have publicly resigned – Josu Landa, Oier Guillan and Koldo Izagirre. Asier Serrano, one of the signatories of the manifesto, has been awarded the prize for Basque literature that did not appear in the quinielas for his book of Linbotarrak poems.

The list of brunettes is long in the last decade. Some flashes: In 2008 Eider Rodriguez, Uxue Alberdi and Koldo Izagirre said that not knowing they were finalists, in 2009 Iñigo Aranbarri and there is also the 2015 one: Mikel Perua rejected the Field of Fire award for the novel. There have been those who, at first, refused to participate and years later, have changed their attitude. And there are those who are even more firmly behind the stance of the time. “To say that I am of the same opinion is little,” says Jon Alonso, whose article can be considered an antecedent of the manifesto “Utikan”. He made it public at the Basque Culture Yearbook of ARGIA in 2007, where he told, among other things, how an official from the Department of Culture of the Basque Government had manipulated the votes when deciding the finalists. “If I had been silent in the face of such a gross and shameless trap, I would never have forgiven myself,” he explained.

Ten years later, asked if the “Utikan” had any effect, Alonso says yes: “I would say that the position of the majority we signed is the same.” Despite recognizing the existence of the award-winning authors after adhering to the manifesto, this has not prevented, in his view, building “a small nucleus” around what was claimed and being aware of the existence of “the most conscious and active Basque literary community”. “I am proud of all the writers who have maintained their attitude and to whom I am both indebted and grateful.”

Rewind to 2007. Something is going to happen in April: Jon Kortazar, president of the jury of the last Euskadi Awards that have been given before presenting the manifesto, has decided to award the Spanish Critic Prize to Alonso in narrative from the book The Space of Smokers; and to Koldo Izagirre in poetry by Rimmel. Considering that both writers are the signatories of “Utikan”, it seems a gesture to try to quell the fire. He will take away the bellows: Izagirre will publicly state his resignation to the Critic Prize and also denounce that “the Euskadi Prize is chosen with a darker mechanism than the Euskadi Prize” – at that time Kortazar is all the jury to choose the winner.

Unexpected news at the routine ceremony that until then was repeated year after year: it will be an entertaining year for journalists working in the cultural departments.

The National Audience as a Literary Jury

A time-lapse of the Gernika Tree dropping leaves in autumn, snowfall in winter, flower in spring and summer in the sun, and so a couple of turns until 2009. Patxi López will receive the makila of lehendakari by reciting poetry, and the new government will decide to do something different with the Euskadi Awards. The bases must be modified and presented by authors or editorials for their assessment. This measure was adopted after considering it impossible to manage all the annual production, as explained by the then Minister of Culture, Blanca Urgell: “It was a positive experience for both the jurors and the staff of the Basque Government in charge of managing the prize.” In his opinion, the decision had nothing to do with “Utikan”, which “denounced the vicissitudes of previous governments and I am convinced that in 2007 we too can agree with some of the things that the manifesto said.” With the change, the administration saved some uncomfortable headlines, because for a while no one had refused to be a finalist, just not showing up.

But distrust of a literary prize: when you don't expect it, a new controversial episode starts. Upload the music to the meeting, 2011: Are we the Moors of Joseba Sarrionandia in fog? The jury has considered the trial to be the best of the year. But it will be the Department of Culture that decides not to give the economic part of the prize until “the awarded person regulates his situation in court”. And until the National Court declares that it has nothing against the writer of Iurreta – that is a way of saying it – it will not be given the EUR 18,000 that corresponds to him.

“We knew it was going to bring a storm, and with this movement we managed to soften the anger of those who believed that Sarrionandia was a devil, while inevitably we were igniting the anger of those who considered him a hero,” explains Urgell. "The worst thing was to see that the family renewed its pain because of the media scandal. We live in a cruel world that commands you to be ‘with me’ or ‘against me’.” Asked about the pressures behind this decision, he assured that there were no “Lords X”. And among the most emotional moments of the legislature stands out the moment when the Sarrionandia family attended the awards ceremony.

Repetition of play

Let us make a smooth transition, that legislature is over, the PNV has returned to the Basque Government and returns to the previous scheme. Instead of presenting the own papers, everything published since 2012 will be re-evaluated. Vice-Minister of Culture, Joxean Muñoz, explained that the aim is “to have a national prize”, and for this we have to take into account all the production, otherwise it would become a competition.

But resignations will reappear, the most popular one in Peru in 2015, saying no to the prize and proposing other kinds of measures to encourage literary creation. Muñoz has argued that prizes are part of the policy of giving visibility to literary production, but they are not the only ones that are made in this area. This year, for example, the CAV Government has launched a new call to promote youth literature. Although it has been analyzed to do something similar to the adult literature, the fact that the call has a period of one year makes it difficult to start in their own words: “Normally, to write a novel, like a Twist, a year is not enough, it takes a lot longer.”

Regarding the situation that occurs when writers resign, Muñoz says: “When the focus is on books and literature in general, the focus is also on possible discrepancies that may exist. And I do not think it is a bad thing that those positions, those discrepancies and those criticisms are highlighted. If culture is not a space for debate, we have done so.” He added that most writers are satisfied with the prize they receive from their hands. And it has not received any message from the associations involved in the design of cultural policies that consider the prizes to be inappropriate. “Of some agents yes,” he added, “and I take it with respect, because they have every right.”

The point is that the film follows, more or less, as it was ten years ago, adding the factor of the routine. To explain it with a scheme, it is a new cycle of Euskadi Awards: 1) to meet the finalists, 2) to declare the resignation of one or more writers and 3) to reward the author who has resigned equally or b) to surrender the award to another. A remake with few surprises. There are no new scripts, as the government recognizes that this will be the case and there are also writers who do not want to participate, apparently – “I am not interested in reforming or improving prizes. It's not my business. The awards are the image of the failure of a certain conception of literature,” says Jon Alonso.

“This is all friends,” he will have to say. Enter the termination credits.