The Basque Nationalism Museum, located at Ibáñez de Bilbao, 16-Sabin Etxea, will host the visit of writer Elena Moreno Scheredre. This event is part of the “Book Corner” lecture series, an initiative by the museum to connect the public with Basque literature and its protagonists.
Under the title “Narrating the Lived. The Silent Emotions of History,” Moreno Scheredre will propose a reflection on how we remember and transmit the past. The Bilbao-born author recently published Un bosque de Álamos en Idaho. La historia de una emigración silenciosa, a narrative exploring the legacy of Basques in North America.
Throughout 522 pages, the novel also tells a love story between Domingo, a Basque emigrant shepherd in Idaho, and Valentina Alzola, a young woman from Lekeitio. The writer gives voice to the conflicting emotions of generations who experienced, from afar, the Spanish Civil War, the bombing of Gernika, and historical events in tumultuous 20th-century Europe.
“"My novel does not aim to provide data; it is not an essay. I wanted to capture what those men and women must have felt because, most of the time, history resonates much deeper, especially with current generations who don't read much, through emotions rather than data."
The author noted that the main characters are fictional but represent the feat of the men who arrived in Idaho and the crucial role of women in the migratory process, responsible for transmitting the language, Basque culture, and cuisine. She highlighted the extensive research, despite finding less documentation on women's experiences.
The novel addresses themes such as the Basque diaspora, integration, and love, inviting readers to reflect. The Carlton Hotel in Bilbao, which served as the first seat of the Basque Government during the Civil War, also appears in the novel and will be the venue for the book's presentation on May 19th.
