The Basque History of the World | 
 enlarge | Author: Mark Kurlansky
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
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Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 84531
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 1.3
ISBN: 0099284138
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9780099284130
ASIN: 0099284138
Publication Date: November 2, 2000
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
After basking in the shallows of success that surrounded Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, Mark Kurlansky turns his attentions to the people who first hunted it and in doing so may have discovered America before John Cabot could say Isparsortalderatu. In a sense The Basque History of the World is the natural successor to Cod, for it grows organically from that book's early chapters. It unfolds the dramatic tale of the Basques as they fight off the challenges of the Vikings, the Romans, the Muslims and, for centuries now, the Spanish; proudly defensive of the remote and rugged hills on the edge of the Pyrenees, where Shakespeare set Love's Labour's Lost and that echoes with their peculiar agglutinating tongue. They are possibly Europe's aborigines and their language, unlike any other, was reputed to originate from, variously, the Tower of Babel, Atlantis and even the Garden of Eden. What's for certain is that it has defined their being when all else has been taken from them and that today, emerging from the shadow of the Franco regime's persecution, Europe's oldest nation wants to be its newest state. Kurlansky's recipe is reassuringly and familiarly unorthodox: intermingled with a stirring narrative are maps, photographs, pieces of reportage, quirky facts and, of course, recipes--the Basques are justly proud of their fish--and bean-based cuisine, something Kurlansky is not slow to savour. Where Cod was not simply about a big fish in The Big Pond but embraced the thorny problem of global over-fishing, The Basque History of the World does not confine its scope to the two and a half million people living in the seven Basque provinces. It speaks of violently modern and pervasive issues such as the notion of nationhood, borders and identity, and does so in a slyly humorous yet always passionate way. Be warned: This is not insipid, literary chloroform. What the imperious Kurlansky has written is a magnificently personal and driven tribute to a people and culture that have spellbound him for years and will warm the cockles of your heart (before adding them to a Ttoro stew). --David Vincent
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 From a Basque: this book is rubbish September 8, 2008
justin case (toulouse)
I read this book when it came out and I just have taken it in my hands again to see if I have the same feeling about it now as I had it then. Indeed I do. Mr Kurlansky seems to be the kind of person who still finds romantic and idealistic the fight of those repressed peoples around the globe, such as, for instance, in Tibet, Kurdistan or, indeed, The Basque Country. It looks to me that he came to my homeland, he was very well fed (that we can do indeed) and he was strolled around by people who, I dare say, do not have very open views about those who do not think like themselves. Not only that: he was told loads of lies and decided to write a book based on them. Yes, I am a Basque, and I could not despise more those who say they fight in my name, those who "suffer but continue the struggle". Yes, I am a proud traitor. I am not in any way a patriot, not even an Spanish one. I just could not care less about Anthems, Flags or any crappy symbology of the kind.
I do not want to go on and on and on, because I would like to go to sleep soon. I would like just to quote some phrases from the book, just to give an overall idea of the genre of bullshit we a re dealing with.
"The killings went on" says Kurlansky. Nope, he is not talking about the terrorists from ETA, he is talking about the GAL, an Estate-sustained terrorist organization who killed, if I remember well, 27 people in the eighties. ETA has killed around 900. With a reason, of course, that is why the author never uses such unkind expressions. He even says that in the same period of time "the Spanish government have killed hundreds of Basques" What on Earth is he talking about? What are the names of those killed ones? Moreover, he tells us about the torture in Spanish and about the "violence" and "intimidation" of ETA. Did he mean "murders"? Not sure. Oh yes, torture. Of course it exists, and I depise it. Does that justify murder, kidnapping, extortion etc. etc.? Of course not. Ah, but we live in a "Police state". He even dares saying that "Basque youth called ertzantzas cipayos", and I laughed to tears: what do you mean, Mr Kurlansky? I have been young and when I got drunk even me I light have called them cipayos once or twice. Was I an independentist? Give me a break.
More hilariously, he says that "ETA's primary demand for decades has been negotiation". Really? Suppose that it is true, which is not. Negotiate what? On whose behalf? Ah, there you are: "The standing of ETA among the Basques is difficult to measure", He goes on trying to explain this and this is when you realize that the author is plain stupid. Do you need another proof? "without the Basque and the Catalan provinces, the two most productive regions, Spain would become an impoverished third-world nation". That is a good one, is not it? What, are you asking for data proving the statement? Sorry, we are not talking about the same book.
I want to finish. Just a final remark about the Euskara (or Euskera, as he puts it), that is the Basque language and, so it seems, the main proof of our existence as a unique people. Yes, it is the most ancient Language in Europe. And so what? Indeed, Languages evolve and that happens to be good. It happened to Latin, did not? I have studied all my life in Basque, since I was three up to my University degree, and I am not ready to accept intolerance and murder in the name of cultural primitivism.
Let me finish by telling those nationalists reading this that I am not a conservative, nor a right wing zealot (even if I was so, I would still be a Basque, they like it or not). In fact, I am quite the opposite: I am a left wing idealist who still thinks global justice is possible and that the fight for a better world requires respect, critical thought and open-minded spirits.
Interesting book April 19, 2007
LAS@Portugal (Portugal)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Kurlansky's book is an interesting first approach to Basque History. It gives an interesting historical background on many places as well as a detailed insight of the historical events that gave birth to its separatist politics. Although it is very nice to read, it is too much lengthy and very much biased...
Nevertheless I consider it an essential reading.
 Four plus three equals one (Basque graffiti) August 6, 2005
Bert Ruiz (Pleasantville, NY)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
There are a total of seven provinces in Basque land. Three are in France and four are in Spain. Consequently, the birth of local Basque wall graffiti, "four plus three equals one." "The Basque History of the World," is a comprehensive historical portrait of a proud people. Moreover, author Mark Kurlansky details the very unique and "tenacious" characteristics of the Basque population. Interestingly enough, Kurlansky argues that the Basque tongue, "Euskera" is likely the oldest living European language. Kurlansky's narrative starts in the Bronze age, examines the bloody difficulties of the Spanish Civil War, it documents the stunning bravery of the Basque people during World War II, and reports the terrible human rights violations inflicted on the Basque people by the Franco Dictatorship. Kurlansky also does not fail to report the impressive economic development of the region from fishing to shipbuilding to steel manufacturing. On a diplomatic note, the author makes a point of reporting the shameful American State Department betrayal of the Basque people due to Cold War politics. Finally, this book is an important source of information for all Latin Americans...you may very well discover your own links to the Basque culture. Recommended. Bert Ruiz
the basques are no longer an enigma October 5, 2004
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
the basques, like the irish before the peace process, tended to get only negative press before this book was written. it's a gem. although the author's style is somewhat like a pot pourri, especially the insertion of basque recipes in "odd places" at the end of insightful analyses of basque historical chapters. maybe he wants to normalise their experience back to the culinary, as this can bring a greater understanding of the culture itself too. this book encouraged me to look at p woodward's analysis of the gal episode in spanish history which highlights the stain of state terroism against the basque nationality. it is a worthy introduction to a country often talked about but misunderstood. get it today!
The Basque History of the World. November 17, 2003
Frederick Garner (London United Kingdom)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
So much I have always wanted to know. Amazing information on Basque history, politics and best of all cooking.... Baccaloa recipes. The section on the linguistics of the Basque language is so easy to follow and I very much enjoyed the guide on how to pronounce the inpenetrable "tx." The coverage of the American influence on Basque feelings and the effect of Franco on the immediate lives of the Basque people was electrifying. The bibliograhy is stunning. An extremely well-written and wonderfully researched book. I would reccommend it anyone who is interested in exploring the totality of "Spanish Culture and History."
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