When Basque Poetry Took to the Streets

Abstract

This article explores how poetry in Basque progressively incorporated the city as a literary and symbolic setting, particularly the city of Bilbao. Through the analysis of four key figures—Lizardi, Lauaxeta, Gabriel Aresti, and Bernardo Atxaga— it shows the evolution from a nostalgic and ruralist vision to a critical and ultimately utopian appropriation of urban space. Lizardi and Lauaxeta, although attached to the rural landscape, understood the need to intervene in the city to modernize Basque culture. Aresti, for his part, transformed Bilbao into a symbol of social injustice and collective memory. Finally, Atxaga proposed a new vision: Euskal Hiria, an urban utopia that embraces cultural diversity. Basque poetry, thus, went from singing about the countryside to occupying the streets, reclaiming identity, language, and modernity from a critical and transformative perspective.