Bilbao, with its contrasts between tradition and modernity, profoundly shaped the thought, character, and literary work of Miguel de Unamuno. His birthplace was not only where he took his first steps but also a constant source of inspiration and reflection throughout his life. A thinker, philosopher, novelist, and poet from Bilbao, with a controversial and complex personality, he was, above all, the writer who most inspired and spread love for Bilbao.
Like any loving couple, the city's relationship with Unamuno was not always idyllic. During the Republic, he was stripped of his title as Illustrious Bilbaíno, but in 1975, after Franco's death, he regained it. Unamuno did not belong to any political party because, in his own words, “he was a whole and not a part.” Hence, he was always the heterodox of all parties, and even of all regimes.
Although Unamuno's life took him far from Bilbao, his bond with the city never broke. Nor did the city's bond with the philosopher. Unamuno Day has been celebrated in Bilbao every September 29 since 1999, commemorating the writer's birth on Ronda Street in Bilbao. Currently, in addition to the square named after him, there are two busts in the city: one in Unamuno Square, a work by Victorio Macho, and another in Bidarte Park, in Deusto.
This week, several events converge in Bilbao focusing on the figure of the writer and philosopher. On Thursday, April 9, at the Sociedad Bilbaína, starting at 7:00 PM, Luis García Jambrina will present his detective novel El último caso de Unamuno as part of the Crímenes en el Salón Francés series. Following El primer caso de Unamuno, García Jambrina continues his saga of historical detective fiction about the Generation of '98 writer.
A day later, on Friday, April 10, at the Bidebarrieta Library, History professor María Jesús Cava will give a talk at 7:00 PM titled Mujeres en las novelas de Unamuno. Personajes y arquetipos (Women in Unamuno's Novels. Characters and Archetypes).
And on Tuesday, April 14, at 12:00 PM at the Bidebarrieta Library, the El Sitio Society and the Vizcaína Artistic Association will present the awards and diplomas for the Idea Contest promoted to popularize Unamuno in Bilbao, coinciding with the 95th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Second Republic that Miguel de Unamuno delivered from the balcony of Salamanca City Hall.
Unanimously, the proposal signed by Marino Montero has been declared the winner: to establish a permanent exhibition space dedicated to Unamuno's life and work, with special reference to his relationship with Bilbao. This space could be autonomous, in the style of the Unamuno House-Museum in Salamanca or the Unamuno House Museum in Fuerteventura, or integrated into the offerings of a museum or cultural space in the city.
Other initiatives with a more popular and everyday tone have also emerged, designed to make Unamuno present in the streets, shops, and hospitality establishments of Bilbao. These include the creation of a pastry in his honor, a pintxo named after him, tourist souvenirs linked to his figure, a Unamunian route, or even more symbolic proposals such as renaming infrastructure or strengthening his presence in public spaces.
