Juan C. Arrosagaray Papers

Juan Cruz Arrosagaray was a Basque poet born in 1905 in Luzaide/Valcarlos, Nafarroa. He was raised in a house called Bordel. His elder brothers were living in the United States of America, and he had an uncle living in Uruguay. Juan immigrated to the United States in 1935, settling in Pomona, California. While he was in California, he wrote poems and had them published in the magazines Príncipe de Viana and Herria in Baiona. His poems were well-known for their political content. He recorded his poetry at the University of Nevada, Reno, in 1981.

Juan Echamendi was a poet born in Luzaide/Valcarlos, Nafarroa, in 1792. He was Juan C. Arrosagaray’s great-grandfather. He was also known as Bordel, after the name of the house he resided in. Juan Echamendi was a well-known bertsolari, singing about his life and in opposition to Carlism and the monarchy. He spent most of the first Carlist War in jail. He died in his hometown in 1875. A statue of Juan was erected there.

SOURCES:

BERTSOLARI.EUS. Biografiak [Online] http://www.bertsolari.eus/biografiak/

LUZAIDE/VALCARLOS. Vecinos ilustres [Online] http://luzaide-valcarlos.net/es/cultura/personalidades-valcarlos/

ARROSAGARAY, Juan Cruz (1983). Kaliforniak kantuz. Tolosa: Auspoa.