PELLOKERIAK
Ruben Ruiz
Illustrations: Joseba Beramendi, exprai.
Elkar, 2022

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Rubén Ruiz offers a new work of short stories. They are not micronarratives, because the stories, although they can be read independently, have a link: the protagonist, Pello, a boy with strange occurrences, and what has happened to him.

The work, composed of 21 micronarratives, is about to remind the reader of the work Anekdotak (Pamiela, 2008), written by Rubén Ruiz and that received the Lizardi and Euskadi awards. This time he has also won a prize: Mikel Zarate 2024
We have mentioned that they are short stories, anecdotes, stories of a fact, an occurrence, an occurrence or an occurrence. Sometimes we have the narration of an idea or event (the case of the person receiving bullying in school, or that of Maritxu Teilatukoa, for example), sometimes the word games are the ones that have the most weight, the majics/magical, the gatuaje/tattoo… and in other cases the humor that the event itself has. But in one way or another, that humor is what's kept throughout the book.

The author, with the help of the illustrator, introduces us to the daily life of a somewhat naughty child (or perhaps we should say that he is a great victor). The school has great weight in narratives, such as the behavior of teachers or class exercises (short story competition, carnivals, exams), but the house, the sick grandfather's environment and everyday stories also have their importance in the book. Besides the attractive themes, writing is very well cared for; short and precise, far from didactism, the author plays with language and claims literary writing.

Pellokeriak is a work that is read quickly, either continuously or partially, aloud or silently, either individually or in a group, but always with a game, fun and feeling of pleasure… smiling.