Founded in 2014, MPK took over the leadership role of the collection in 2021. How did the situation arise?
More places to stay in Isabel Etxeberria: In 2020, he said that Beñat Sarasola wanted the relay, which had already been published more than 30 days ago. So they started thinking about who could replace Susa inside, and that we don't know very well where, they thought about us. And we, well, yes. With a little fear and a little responsibility; probably also affected by the impostor syndrome...

More places to stay in Maialen: And with illusion!

The new home: Oh, yes, of course. That’s how we agreed, in the fall of 2020. In 2021 we worked on linking the first quays edited by us, which were published in 2022.

How do you divide the work?
More places to stay in Berasategi: We always contrast the main decisions with each other, even the small ones often. But since we usually have two books per baking, each one takes care of one of them mainly. So, we both do the same jobs, but divided, each with a book. Always coordinated and united. And then we split the little tasks that come from there and from here: today you, tomorrow me, the others together...

In March, as part of the festival of the literary tale Ignacio Aldecoa in Vitoria-Gasteiz, you had a round table on the translation of stories, Isabel. They asked you if you notice the impact of what has been translated since then when it is created in Basque, and you honestly said no, it is so small that our ability to translate and publish is so limited... As if that were not enough, it is always said that poetry is not read by anyone. So, what is the purpose or need for such a collection?
The new home: We were invited by the translators of three short stories to talk about literature, and at a specific moment we were asked about the impact that these short stories have had on Basque writers. In these cases, it seems to me that we all make such an implicit agreement—speakers, interrogators, listeners—that we actually speak as if this influence had come to them through our translations. And we know no, and the reason is very simple: what we return is very small, in quantity. The influence of Carver would have reached some Basque writers through the two books that are translated into Basque, but all of Carver’s work is translated in Spanish and French. In other words, the reality is that all Basque readers, all Basque speakers, are bilingual, and we only read a little bit of foreign literature in Basque.

More places to stay in Berasategi: And it’s not just a question of quantity, but when did the Basque translations start and when did the translators come from? Especially thinking of people over a certain age: there was a time when they didn’t have Basque or the little we have now.

The new home: In this sense, it seems that we have a pessimistic picture in front of us: how little impact Basque translation has on Basque literature; we don’t get much, neither translators nor publishers... We don't have much mass of readers either... But on the other hand, to see the bright side, even though I’m talking about it with simplicity, it seems to me that what translates to Basque, although symbolically, has relevance among Basque readers. That is to say that, in a certain way, translation into Basque is a bit like a flashlight, it focuses and shows where we need to focus. There are some names that have been translated into Basque lately and possibly among Basque readers, because they have been read in groups of readers, mentioned on social networks... Well, I'm not going to say they're mouth-to-mouth, but they kind of come up. And in this sense, I think that the translation in Basque is what makes its contribution, as well as this collection.

Beñat Sarasola, the former editor, said in a 2016 interview that the MPK has had a nice reception from both readers and the media. Can you confirm what Sarasola said today?
More places to stay in Berasategi: I think there are very loyal people among the receivers, and the reception is still, I dare not say, great, because of what Isabel has just said, but there is heat. With the collection already ten years away, it could have been an erosion, but we have received thanks from the readers and also in the case of the translators.

Is the reception similar from one Kaier to another?
The new home: The analysis of sales outside the subscription shows that the most popular names are sold. In proportion, there are fewer female poets in the collection, and among the best-selling are the names of many women. On the other hand, perhaps those who make poetry more narrative also appear quite high, or perhaps those who make poetry more engaged.

More places to stay in Berasategi: Authors who have worked in other genres or fields also tend to attract less poetry enthusiasts. And then it is also influenced by groups of readers, etc.

I've read here and there that the subscribers' contribution makes it possible to match the publishing costs of the collection. However, as is the case in the sector as a whole, the work of the translator is carried out mainly in the form of militancy, which can hardly be extracted from the publication of other translated books in order to make a decent financial compensation. The same is the work of editors.
More places to stay in Berasategi: The only thing I can say is the topic: this issue can never be discerned, not only from the general state of Basque literature, but from the general tendency of the Basque language. It is clear that global and coordinated strategies must be adopted. And there are people, at least in theory, whose job it is, so they're gonna have to think about it. But it’s not just them, of course; the rest of us will have to think about what to do. Is what we’re doing working? Partly, yes, but the gaps are there.

The new home: I would say that, in a very utopian way, literature in Basque and any culture should be given a greater presence in society. There should be more cultural programs in the media, football should not eliminate one of the most unique programs in one week and the next... That is to say, instead of being an approach, “people are not interested; why are we going to give them to them?”, let them be “we are going to give them to them, and that is how they will start to be interested.” In the audiovisual, the same. “For what? The kids then see Clan and Disney Plus!” Well, they see it just because the audiovisuals aren’t enough. I would say the same with literature. I don’t think we’ll ever get a society where 80% of the population will be poetry readers, but we can go from 5% to 10%, to 15% if poetry really has more presence in the day to day. And there should be more conscious policies there.

The translator Garazi Goldarazena studied the production of MPK for his Final Degree Project in 2024. It shows that it has been translated from different languages and countries, that the gender distribution of translators is more balanced than before... But the trends and power relations are still there: English and Europe stand out in the languages and territories of origin, more than half of the translators are from Gipuzkoa... Overall, how would you rate your work so far?
More places to stay in Berasategi: On the one hand, the collection has had a consciousness from the beginning, which we have inherited as well. But, of course, this also has its limitations, starting with the way in which the collection is proposed: it is a collection of anthologies, which are not usually anthologies of any author, most of them are somewhat canonical. So, for example, the question that we always keep going is that in some languages and nations, for example, most of the literature is or has been oral until now. For this reason, or for other reasons, they have a different concept of authorship than in the West, and perhaps there is not only a great name to translate. If we want to bring something from this kind of language, and if there is no such main author, what do we do? Should we bring a collection of poets and make an exception?

The new home: On the other hand, as the data shows, there are some inertias there, in us and in the translators who participate in the collection. We are trying to resist these inertias, but they sometimes lead us to ourselves. Until now, if the proposals that came to us were worthy of collection, we have always given our assent, we have not forced anyone. On the other hand, we have noticed that, when the translators are men, in general, they give us a simple yes and give us the job fairly quickly. We may have approached both women and men in similar numbers, but more women have told us not to be affected by impostor syndrome, or to start and stop, out of fear, or because they also have a heavy workload... There are many factors that correspond to the choice, but also those that are secondary but very important.

More places to stay in Berasategi: Also, as mentioned, we don’t insist: even though we want to include women, we don’t tell anyone to choose a woman. Because we want to achieve a kind of balance: it is an incredible job to make a little bit of money, and since the compensation is also modest, it is also a way to pamper and take care of the translators to give them the little freedom of choice. And then we realize the imbalance that this entails. We don’t intend to make fun of it, but all these implications are involved.

What challenges would you face in the future, in that sense?
More places to stay in Berasategi: There are languages, nations or countries, even continents, that are not reflected. This is one of the main challenges: to reflect a greater voice and diversity. Not because they are politically correct or because we don’t know what kind of political agenda we want to fulfill, but simply because they are the world’s quayeres of poetry, because that is the name and purpose, which would give the collection more integrity and quality.

We are more familiar with the original books to reach readers through the broadcasts and see how they are organized. However, there have been several live performances based on MPKs, created by translators, as well as the self-directed Recitals of the Female Poets of the World and the Death of the Formol Laboratory called Eduardo. What does the direct give to the text?
The new home: On the one hand, we can reach people who might not approach poetry so easily. And on the other hand, I believe that it gives a plus to any aesthetic experience to live collectively. You can read a poem and feel the emotions, but when you hear it surrounded by people, and you look at the neighbor and see that he is feeling the same emotion as you... This is always an added value. There’s often no chance of that, but I think it’s a beautiful thing.

More places to stay in Berasategi: Without forgetting that we are also talking about poetry: poetry is originally oral, recited. And we often forget it. Reading quietly on paper, in your solitude, is wonderful, but I think that the direct way to complete and intensify this experience of poetry is absolutely beautiful. And I also think it’s a nice way to meet fans.

The collaboration with the Formol Laboratory is the most recent of those mentioned, and we can still see it in the theaters. How was the project born?
More places to stay in Berasategi: We got a little excited about the 10th anniversary. We did a storm of ideas, and that’s also how the Women’s Recitals you mentioned came out. But on top of that, we wanted something to get away from the traditional recital—without taking anything away from it, too—something a little more festive.

The new home: We prepared the first special kaier, also called The Living Ones. In principle, we only publish dead poets, because the goal is to give a vision of their entire work. This time, however, we wanted to give the translators who had previously been in the collection the opportunity to bring a copy of a poet we like alive. The result was a completely different pause from the others: 39 translators, each one choosing a poet from a corner of the world, with no connection between them... And, while we were receiving the poems, we commissioned the Formol Laboratories to take the texts and do something with them. And we are very happy with the result.

More places to stay in Berasategi: I would like to emphasize that, just in case, the titles have made a title, a humorous performance: in addition to being juicy and deep, intense and fun.

In conclusion, will you tell us what whim you say, what would you like to receive in a kaier at some point?
More places to stay in Berasategi: I will not get wet with the names, but I will say that the collection has also served me to discover poets and I want to continue doing it, as well as to see, as we have said before, the poetic side of writers that we know from other genres.

The new home: I love Wisława Szymborska. There is a selection of poems published here and there, but I would love to be able to enjoy a complete anthology in Basque. Besides, we've got him half tied up!