Antonio Altarriba, recipient of the National Comic Award and recently named Knight of Arts and Letters of France, is set to inaugurate the festivities of San Prudencio and Nuestra Señora de Estíbaliz. The event will take place in Vitoria's Plaza de la Provincia at 8:00 PM, where the writer will symbolically kick off the Álava celebrations with his address.
Although Altarriba was not born in Vitoria, he arrived in the city in 1975 at the age of 23 to work as a professor at the former University College of Álava. Since then, his personal, professional, and cultural life has been deeply intertwined with the capital of Álava, leading him to feel the city as his own.
“"For a long time now, I have felt that Vitoria is my city."
The opening speech will be rich with memories, as Altarriba will recall his arrival in Vitoria, his first steps as a writer, and his collaborations in fanzines and comic scripts. He will also pay tribute to his parents, whom he will likely remember as he looks out at the Plaza de la Provincia this evening.
The writer admits he is not particularly fond of parties, perhaps due to the solitary nature of writing, but he highly values the role of festivities as a gathering place. Altarriba asserts that celebrations like those of San Prudencio and Nuestra Señora de Estíbaliz help forge community bonds and reinforce the welcoming atmosphere he has experienced in Vitoria throughout his life.
This evening's speech marks the beginning of an extensive program that will unfold in the coming days, including drum parades, retreats, music, gastronomy, the celebration of San Prudencio's Day on April 28, and the traditional pilgrimage to Estíbaliz on May 1.
