LINGUAE VASCONUM PRIMITIAE - Euskaltzaindia

PREFACE
«ln reality the re/ationship of Etxepare's
work with fo/k poetry -in spirit, /anguage,
and versification -is readi/y apparent '».
The 450th anniversary of the publication by Bernard Etxepare of the
first known Basque book in print - «Linquee Vasconum Primitiee», 1545
in Bordeaux - is an important enough day in the annals of the Basque
language and culture not to go unnoticed by the institutions, universities,
and cultural entities of the country without properly paying homage to
his memory. Nothing seemed more fitting than a re-edited facsimile of
his work accompanied by a translation into the most widespread languages
of the Western world so as to fulfil the desire which the poet had expressed:
«zeren ladin publika mundu guzietara berze lengoaiak bezala hain
eskribatzeko on dela» (so that the whole world might know that it is as
good as any tongue in which to write) 2.
Scholars of the history of the language are not unanimous in regarding
the poet's rightful place. Koldo Mitxelena differs not only from those who
call him «the Basque Habelais», but also from those who call him a
Renaissance mano In his opinion, the poet is worthy of the name merely
on account of his enthusiasm for the printed word. He agrees, on the
other hand, with the age-old parallelism established between him and the
Archpriest of Hita, some of whose passages he does not believe were
composed by Etxepare 3. Jon Juaristi believes him to be a «transitorv
figure between medieval and Renaissance culture 4».
In our day and age a possible connection has been revealed between
the Basque poet and the famous French poet Clément Marot (1497-1544),
the favourite of Marguerite, the Queen of Navarre who were brought
together, on account of a common friendship, by the King's counsel
, MlcHELENA, Luis, Historia de la Literatura Vasca, Madrid, Ed. Minotauro, 1960, p. 47.
•2 See preface of the book.
3 MICHELENA, Luis, op. cit. p. 46.
4 JUARISTI, Jon, Literatura Vasca, Taurus, Madrid, Ed. Taurus, 1987, p. 33.
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