Touring a landscape of literary inspiration
ThePathoftheLizardofAsteasu
Walkthroughtheterritoryofabestseller
The path of the Lizard takes us to the literary world of the renowned writer Bernardo Atxaga, who was inspired by the landscapes of Asteasu for several of his works. It is a journey that combines fiction and reality, and puts in value our language: Euskera.
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Asteasu and Obaba
Obaba is an indeterminate place where the author’s best-known narratives are located, such as Sugeak txoriari begiratzen dionean (When the snake looks at the bird, 1989) Bi letter (Two letters, 1990), and, Obabakoak, work translated into 26 languages.
BernardoAtxaga
It is the artistic pseudonym of Jose Irazu Garmendia, born in Asteasu in 1951. At the beginning of the eighties he devoted his work exclusively to literature. He has been awarded on numerous occasions, among other distinctions, with the National Prize of Spanish Letters in 2019.
TwokilometersthroughAsteasu
It is a short route of two kilometers that can be done freely. In addition to information panels that collect the stories of Bernardo Atxaga, you can listen to the recorded explanations of the author himself, which are accessed through QR codes that appear on various panels.
Thestartingpoint
You will find the depart point in the upper district of Asteasu, “Elizmendi”, next to the Pello Errota school. From there, it will be the little blue lizards painted on the ground who will guide your steps.
Words from the author
“When it came to creating Obaba, I started from the physical geography of Asteasu. What you can see from the village cemetery, that’s Obaba.”
Bertsolarismanditssocialfunction
At the beginning of the walk Bernardo Atxaga reflects on the phenomenon of popular improvisers, the bertsolaris. Atxaga refers to his role in traditional society: he explains what “creative censorship” consists of, and concludes that his work focused on satire and moral censorship.
TheimportanceofBasquelanguage:Euskera
Atxaga refers to the illustrious characters who lived in the rectory, Erretotxe and the artistic treasures kept by the church of Asteasu: a baptismal font of the fourteenth century and a sculpture of the sixteenth century signed by Juan de Anchieta.
Elizmendi,thecentralplace
It is the central place of Obaba. On the steps of the church the episode of the lizard happens. On the way to the lower part of the village, you will continue discovering references to the universe of Obaba: the manor house of the uncle of Montevideo, the rabid dog of the “Ilobate” farm, the road of Andazarrate, the “Portale” farm…
Amagicfountain
The road leads to a fountain, ideal place to sit down to rest and chat. That is precisely what Bernardo Atxaga did with his artist friends: the singer Mikel Laboa, the painters José Luis Zumeta and Ricardo Toja… Nearby, Ibargai is located, one of the oldest farms in Asteasu.