OBABAKOAK

New York City, NY: Pantheon Books, 1992. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Pantheon Books, 1992. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 326 pages. The author's first novel to be translated into English. One of the most important novels of the 20th century. The first appearance of the title in English and in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now rare. Presents Bernardo Atxaga's "Obabakoak" in a felicitous English translation. Translated by Margaret Jull Costa, the finest translator of Spanish and Portuguese literature of our time, from the Spanish Language Version that the author himself wrote after his novel's Basque original. He has gratefully embraced the English translation as definitive. Subsequent editions have since been helpfully re-titled as "Obabakoak: Stories From A Village", in a nod to a more mainstream audience. The technical mastery of the narrative, which weaves in and out of a "shimmering, mercurial collection of stories about life in Obaba, a remote, exotic Basque village", is dazzling. Atxaga's deft realization of every character and pervasive lyricism will convince the reader that what we have been given is a rare gift: An exceptional masterpiece, not just the first novel ever written in Basque. The most beloved Basque writer of our time, Bernardo Atxaga's stature is firmly established in Europe and the United Kingdom. Among other omissions, publication of his second, brilliant novel, "The Lone Man" (1996), was seriously delayed in the United States whereas it was universally acclaimed in London. Recognition of his ground-breaking work is very long overdue, and deserves a much wider readership, in the United States. An absolute "must-have" title for Bernardo Atxaga collectors. This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully double-signed (in both Basque and Roman alphabets) and dated in black ink-pen on the title page by the author: "Bernardo Atxaga 2012". It is signed directly on the page itself, not on a tipped-in page. This title is a great book. As far as we know, this is the only such double-signed and dated copy of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing (American) available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws or are the Softcover Edition. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A rare signed copy thus. The greatest Basque writer of our time. A fine collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER BERNARDO ATXAGA TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 0679424040.