| Published in : Interview Written by Lorea Arakistain on 2009-04-01 12:12 |
“I’d like to take part in one of those experiments to see which side of my brain is activated when I’m making verses.”
We have put Durango in the middle of our map. The town square has been given the name “Verse”, and the streets leading out of it Music, Language, etc. Before we get lost, we are going to ask our protagonist for his help to complete the map of his life. This guy from Durango who has won the Extempore Verse-Making Championships of Bizkaia five times studied Topographical Engineering at the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country.
Even before you were 14, in Izurtza you received your first wages amounting to 1,000 pesetas.
That's right, and I remember what I bought with my wages plus another 200 pesetas my Grandpa gave me: to buy the Hertzainak's Salda badago disc.
Yet you studied topography.
When I was at High School I took the branch of sciences and my favourite subjects were drawing and physics; and my choice of university studies was linked to that. I enjoyed topography, to tell the truth: I enjoyed many subjects apart from one or two.
Have you never been tempted to pursue that career?
No, I haven't. I've always said that while I was studying at university I learnt another profession, and between the two I stuck with the one that had attracted me most. Since then I've been attached to verse making, and I haven't found the time to get involved in topography. But maybe one day...
What would Igor's map be like?
Physically, it wouldn't take up a lot of paper, even on a 1/1 scale. As for my mental map, one day I'd like to take part in one of those experiments to see which side of my brain is activated when I'm making verses. But if I were to make a map of my feelings, it would have to be a four-dimensional one.
Does verse satisfy you?
There's no doubt that
verse is one of the most important things in my life, but there's much more to life, and verse alone wouldn't be enough. And another thing; sometimes I feel I've had enough of verse making, I feel the need to take a break and taste other bitter-sweet things:
be with my folks at home, go to a concert, read, go cycling, have a night out...
I once read that you are a verse maker who is very concerned about style.
I'm not going to question what you may or may not have read, of course. It's true that I find the aesthetic side of verse making very attractive; too much so, sometimes. I'd say it's a question of habit, because that's what I'm like in my other interests. Anyway, labels are risky when dealing with things, people, feelings or actions. Going back to verse making, I always say that the most important thing is what you say, but that the way of expressing it is crucial.
Do you belong to the generation of modern verse makers?
Modern is certainly a worn-out label! I don't know what it means... I just belong to the generation of contemporary verse makers.
In the town square, in the theatre or at the table?
All three. They are three situations and ways of doing verse making and to be an all-round verse maker you have to do it in all three; besides thinking it should be done in all three, I like doing it in all three.
Going back to the championships. You are champion yet again. What now?
The only thing that matters is the next round.
Despite not having a good ear for music, you have recorded 3 discs. You are very daring, aren't you!
I am, aren't I? When I was younger, at the time of the 7 Eskale, I must have been even more daring. Today, I'm trying to satisfy my passions, while being aware of my limitations; so that your passion can overcome your limitations, there is only one secret: work.
You work as a copy editor. How did that come about?
I do that for the Anboto weekly magazine of the Durango area. We write in the Bizkaian dialect of Basque as well as in standard Basque. As they needed someone who could handle both reasonably well, they approached me, and this part-time work is great for me, too. I've been there ever since correcting the texts...and making a few errors!
What job will we see you in next?
Darwin knows!
Should we mention Unai Iturriaga?
My path and Unai's path are closely linked, because we're not only verse-making partners, we've been close friends since we were young. We've shared many things, as verse makers and as individuals, and even though with the passing of the years each of us has pursued his own life, I'm lucky to be able to have someone I can share many of my important concerns in life with.
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