Unai Elorriaga Lopez de Letona
Biography
Bilbo (Bilbao), 1973
His first novel, SPrako tranbia, won him the Spanish National Literature Prize for Narrative.
He acknowledges that he regards himself as a native of Algorta (Bizkaia) and that he was born in the capital city of Bizkaia "by chance". He studied Basque Philology and is a translator by profession (at the Labayru Institute). Since requesting leave of absence he has been devoting himself entirely to literature.
Before that, he gave literature classes and at the same time taught literary translation. He has also worked on text preparation and writing and many articles on literature have appeared in different publications: Idatz & Mintz, Aizu!, UK, Enseiukarrean, Deia... Since winning the Spanish National Literature Prize he has been contributing to the newspapers El Pais, El Mundo and La Varguardia, among others. Furthermore, he has had an opportunity to give lectures: Madrid, Segovia, Merida, Oxfordà have witnessed his lectures directly.
He likes early 20th century writers in particular. He likes what the writers of the 1920s thought and the influence they exerted. In his literary career he remembers that a car was the subject of the first thing he wrote.
In 2002 he won the Igartza Scholarship. It was in fact the one that funded his writing project for his novel Van't Hoffen ilea.
He has received many critiques and commentaries on his novel SPrako tranbia: Ainhoa Arozena, Egan, 1/2-2003; Lutxo Egia, Deia, 06-07-2001; Amagoia Iban, Euskaldunon Egunkaria, 14-07-2001; Felipe Juaristi, El Diario Vasco, 21-07-2001; Javier Rojo, El Correo, 22-08-2001; Jose Luis Padron, Bilbao, 10-2001.