Augustin Chaho in French or Agosti Xaho in Basque was an important Romantic Basque writer. He was born in

Tardets Tardets-Sorholus (; eu, Atharratze-Sorholüze)ATHARRATZE-SORHOLÜZE

(Atharratze in basque),

Soule Soule (Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département''. It is divided into two cantons of the arron ...

, French Basqueland on 10 October 1811 and died in

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...

(Baiona in Basque),

Labourd Labourd ( eu, Lapurdi; la, Lapurdum; Gascon: ''Labord'') is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques ''département''. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial c ...

23 October 1858. He is considered a precursor of left-wing Basque

patriotism Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings, language relating to one's own homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political or histor ...

. It is usually said that he studied in Paris with Charles Nodier. In Paris he developed his

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...

thought. He wrote ''Travel to Navarre during the insurrection of the Basques (1830-1835)'' (1836, in French, on his experiences in the

First Carlist War The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833 to 1840, the first of three Carlist Wars. It was fought between two factions over the succession to the throne and the nature of the Spanish monarchy: the conservative and devolutionist ...

, which he interprets as an ethnic war of Basques against Spain that would bring about a basque

republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

.), ''The Legend of Aitor'' (in which he invented a national

creation myth A creation myth (or cosmogonic myth) is a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it., "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develo ...

, that had great acceptance for some time) Azurmendi, J. 2020: ''Pentsamenduaren historia Euskal Herrian'', Andoain, Jakin. pp.341–342. and ''Azti-Begia'' (''The Soothsayer's Eye'' in

Souletin Souletin or Zuberoan ( eu, Zuberera) is the Basque dialect spoken in Soule, France. Souletin is marked by influences from Occitan (in particular the Béarnese dialect), especially in the lexicon. Another distinct characteristic is the use of ...

Basque). He was a republican supporter, and became councillor in Bayonne and the Basses-Pyrénées department. He headed the

revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

in Bayonne. After the Bonapartist coup of 1851, he escaped to Vitoria (Gasteiz in Basque), in Alava, Spanish Basqueland.

References

* Azurmendi, J. 2020: ''Pentsamenduaren historia Euskal Herrian'', Andoain, Jakin. . * Coyos Etxebarne, B. 2013: ''Agosti Xahori omenaldia: bere sortzearen bigarren mendeurrena'', Donostia, Eusko Ikaskuntza. . * Urkizu, P. 1992: ''Agosti Chahoren bizitza eta idazlanak: (1811-1858)'', Bilbo, Euskaltzaindia. ISBN * Zabalo, J. 2004: ''Xaho. El genio de Zuberoa'', Tafalla, Txalaparta. . * Zabaltza, X. 2011: ''Agosti Xaho. Aitzindari bakartia (1811-1858)'', Gasteiz, Eusko Jaurlaritzaren Argitalpen Zerbitzu Nagusia.

External links

CHAHO, Joseph Augustin
in the Spanish-language Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia
Online edition of 'Azti-Begia'

''Augustin Chaho. Precursor incomprendido. Un précurseur incompris (1811-1858)'', in Spanish and French, by Xabier Zabaltza
*
Aïtor. Légende cantabre / Aitor. - Leyenda cántabra / Aitor. - Kantabriar kondaira
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Xaho Basque writers French Basque politicians People of the First Carlist War French people of the Revolutions of 1848 Basque-language writers 1811 births 1858 deaths French male writers