Gregorio Arrue and his era
Abstract
This article a review is made of the work of Arrue (Hernani, 1811- Zarautz, 1890), who is defined as the "first professionals translator" of the Basque language and, especially, of his time.
Firstly, a list is given of the works of Arrue, divided the main part of his work. Among these, there are the lives of the saints, catechisms, books of ascetic ism nd prayer. It is also worth mentioning other translations to the Guipuzcoan dialect of works written in other Basque dialects, such as Peru Abarca by Mogel and several letters by Mendiburu.
Short works in prose: we only know he made here of his collaboration with Bonaparte and Van Eys, as well as the commission he received from the publisher Eusebio Lopez to prepare a dictionary of Aizkibel for publication.
Nevertheless, the main part of the article is dedicated to giving a view of the time in which Arrue lived, which was practically the whole of the XIX century, an era of important changes throughout Europe and, consequently, also in the Basque Country. In general terms the period was marked by the end of the old regime and the beginning of modern times, with the decadence of aristocracy, the rise of the middle classes and the appearance of the working classes. All these convulsions lead, among other things, to the Carlist wars, in which the Basque Country was deeply involved, and which brought about the loss of its ancient rights.
As far as culture is concerned, the article highlights the cultural and literary boom which the Basque Country experienced, especially in the second half of the century, together with the romantic ism and an incipient nationalist feeling which was emerging at that time. Mention is made here of the work of Augustin Chaho and Antoine d'Abbadie and the floral games organized by the latter, which, initially in the French Basque Country, also began to be held on this side of the boundary. As a consequence of these figures, a first generation of poets, and later of prose writers. A little later the Basque-orientated cultural atmosphere of Navarra, where the "Euskara Association" is especially noteworthy, with names such as Arturo Campion and Navarro Villoslada, among others.
Next, a short review is made of the authors of the era, highlighting how the change from predominantly or almost exclusively religious works in Basque literature to a greater abundance of works of a clearly literary flavour, with the flourishing of poetry and the birth of the novel.
Finally, the article finishes with a short review of some opinions on Gregorio Arrue.
