The Bilbao City Council has marked the 43rd edition of the Gabriel Aresti Short Story Contest, presenting awards this morning. The event, presided over by Mayor Juan Mari Aburto, aims to promote literary creation and celebrate the work and defense of the Basque language by the renowned writer.
In the Spanish language category, the winning story was “La última sustitución” by Francisco Ayudarte Granados. The honorable mentions went to Patricia Santos Peters for “Las hijas del viento” and Augusto César Godoy Sinn for “Ensayo general”.
The winning story in Basque was “Arestiren etxean” by Esti Vivanco. The honorable mentions were awarded to Irati Jiménez Uriarte for “Besarkatzailea” and Nagore Agirre Alvarado for “Erdi”.
This afternoon, at 7:00 PM, Bidebarrieta Kulturgunea will host a literary gathering featuring a reading by Gabriel Aresti from his work “Harri eta Herri”.
The contest, organized annually by the City Council, seeks to keep Aresti's literary legacy alive, commemorating his birth in Bilbao on October 14, 1933.
The jury praised the Spanish winning entry for its "lucid observation of reality" and "clear style." The honorable mentions were recognized for their "meritorious social reinterpretation" and "convincing character development."
In Basque, the winning story was lauded for its "literary references and twists" evoking James Joyce and Gabriel Aresti himself, and for engaging readers in a "fun literary game." The honorable mentions were noted for their emotional portrayal of care and complex human relationships.
The winning stories received a prize of 3,500 euros, while the honorable mentions were awarded 1,750 euros each.
As a tribute to the author, the Bidebarrieta Library will screen an audiovisual document from the RTVE Archive this afternoon, discovered by Jon Kortazar, emeritus professor of Basque Literature at the EHU.
The piece, produced by TVE in 1969 for the cultural program Ateneo, features Aresti alongside Ibon Sarasola and Juan San Martín. Jon Kortazar will provide context on the discovery, and journalist Udane Goikoetxea will read poems from “Harri eta Herri,” a work that modernized Basque poetry.
