Has Moroak gara Behelaino artean, by Joseba Sarrionandia already been written? essay to the book on the occasion of the Euskadi Prize. The Desmanes have been numerous, but I find the attitude of the Department of Culture of the Basque Government most alarming. In fact, one of the two, or the work and intellectual trajectory of Sarrionandia, are responsible for it, or, being aware of it, have acted in bad faith as a result of political practices. I do not know which of the two options is the most despicable.

Those who have argued that Sarrionandia has the right to receive the prize have resorted to similar means: that the most cruel criminal can also do good literature, that if the bases of the contest are fulfilled he has the right to get money, etc. They are all very well, and they are quite right, but I have heard almost no one speak of the work or thought of Sarrionandia.

For, among other things, this whole scandal has been created because Sarrionandia is "a person who has never regretted his militancy", according to a statement by the Basque Government. It is known that this discourse of repentance is so dreadful and sinister. I do not know, for example, whether Mario Onaindia and Kepa Aulestia, two of the current government’s leading intellectual figures, regretted having been involved in ETA at the time, but what I do know is that their writings do not reach the ditch of Sarrionandia’s writings as to the intellectual depth and democratic profile of the criticism of violence and authoritarianism. In fact, you only have to read his work well, read the frozen Friend with minimal skill, read his abundant poetry, let us not say his essay books, to realize that in our environment you can hardly find a progressive, critical and democratic thinker like Sarrionandia – in the most original and honest sense of democracy. It is time to put upside down the mythical figure of Sarrionandia – for some terrorists, hero for others – that we have all created together; to stop using Sarrionandia as a ping-pong ball, to throw out the bags with the image of Sarrionandia. And to read his books. Fortunately, because he himself has written in his favour; unfortunately, few are interested and few are listening.

Beyond the books of Sarrionandia, you can also read the interviews that were made to him. Even journalist José Luis Barbería, a specialist in science fiction about Basque politics, echoed the “surprising” statements made by Iurreta’s writer to Gogogoart magazine. It is no exception, also in Les Inrockuptibles he said very significant things. “Weapons, in fact, seem like a disaster (...) they are within the authoritarian techniques, they are instruments of power.” To present someone as a ruthless and boring terrorist is to organize a campaign of unjust defamation before the public. But what is even more serious is that this shameful campaign comes from the public authorities, which takes care of the Basque culture and takes care of its members from the department that has corresponded to it.

If, as a result of political pressure, they have been forced to do all this, they have been forced to resign with dignity; if those who have spoken and written really think, they have a serious problem, because they demonstrate that they are absolute ignorant of the work of one of the highest Basque writers.