The moving target: A history of Basque detective and crime fiction

The production of detective and crime fiction in Basque literature is a novelty, which appeared for the first time in 1955 with Jose Antonio Loidi's Amabost egun Urgain'en, considered the first Basque detective novel. The most important factors that have affected detective and crime fiction in Basque literature are the standardization of the Basque language into a common written language, the development of a wider readership stemming from the Basque schools, and the subsequent strengthening of the Basque literary system in the last thirty years. Basque detective and crime fiction have overcome many obstacles to find a place for themselves within contemporary Basque narrative. The relatively late modernization of Basque literature was compounded by the constraints imposed on the genre by the sociopolitical composition of the traditional Basque Country---the lack of an autonomous police force, the lack of a literature that dealt with crime, and the lack of a strong judiciary system akin to the ones instituted in Western Europe in the nineteenth century. A major obstacle in the creation of genuine Basque detective fiction is the lack of an investigative archetype, either police officer or private detective, as shown in novels by Txomin Peillen, Xabier Gereno and Gotzon Garate. The theme of victimization and culpability adopts a more politicized position in the works of Basque authors of the genre ("Txillarfegi", Laura Mintegi, Inaki Zabaleta). Likewise, the social view is stressed in choosing villains, taking blame away from the individual and placing it on the social system (Anjel Lertxundi). On the other hand, violence is hinted at, rather than displayed, and the authors avoid any explicit expression of hardcore violence in their novels. Basque detective fiction has also served sometimes as a propaganda vehicle for authors interested in fostering a certain Basque identity. Over the years detective and crime fiction have achieved a literary status within Basque literature, mainly because of their sociopolitical connections and popular appeal. In this regard, Basque detective and crime fiction have become an important part of Basque narrative, as reflected in recent works by Itxaro Borda, Bernardo Atxaga, and Jon Alonso.