Robert Laxalt (September 25, 1923 – March 23, 2001) was a
Basque-American writer from
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
.
Biography
Robert Laxalt was born in 1924, a decade and a half after his father Dominique Laxalt and his mother Theresa Laxalt
had emigrated to the United States in 1906 to herd sheep.
His brother
Paul Laxalt
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
later became
Governor of Nevada
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
(1967–1971) and then a
United States senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
(1974–1986). After graduating from Carson City High School, Robert Laxalt attended
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...
and then the
University of Nevada at Reno
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
.
Robert Laxalt began his writing career as a journalist working for
United Press International
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...
, before starting his own news service in Nevada in the 1950s.
In 1957, Laxalt published his second book ''Sweet Promised Land'', which was widely read and remains his best-known work today. This book tells the story of Laxalt journeying with his father back to France. Laxalt later published over a dozen books, among which several (like ''Sweet Promised Land'' and ''The Basque Hotel'') are biographical or semi-fictional accounts of his family's history.
In 1961, Robert Laxalt founded the
University of Nevada Press
University of Nevada Press is a university press that is run by the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). Its authority is derived from the Nevada state legislature and Board of Regents of the NSHE. It was founded by Robert Laxalt in 1961. T ...
and served as its first editor.
Basque identity
From the Basque Oral History Project:
[Oral Histories, Jon Bilbao Basque Library, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries]
:Laxalt brought Basque identity to the forefront of those living in the Western States. Born on a livestock ranch during the Great Depression, he saw his father went out on the road doing whatever he could to make a living because of the depression. His mother heard that there was a Basque hotel in Carson City for sale named the French Hotel. The business went pretty well and even during Prohibition the hotels served wine. The clientele were more American than Basque. The politicians took a liking to Paul at the time, said he'd be governor some day. Eventually his father bought some ewes again and started buying private land so he would be able to run his sheep. He never wanted to be big again, because it was too risky. In the hotel there were also many miners, prospectors and buckaroos. In town, the Basques would wear their best suits every day. His father almost went crazy staying in the hotel, wanted to be outside in the mountains running sheep and cattle.
:They knew most of the other families in the area, would travel around all the time. His father had only one American sheepherder, but he lost sheep. The significance of the Basque hotels were that they were a home away from home for the sheepherders, where they could speak Basque, play cards and have good food. About the herders, what they did and how they felt about their lifestyle. Who were the best sheepherders according to someone, scots and irishmen but the Basques would always stay with the sheep and never leave them.
Books by Robert Laxalt
*''The Violent Land: Tales the Old Timers Tell''. Reno: Nevada Publishing Co., 1950.
*''Sweet Promised Land''. New York: Harper & Row, 1957.
*''A Man in the Wheatfield''. New York: Harper & Row, 1964. Selected by the American Library Association as one of the six notable works of American fiction that year.
*''Nevada''. New York: Coward McCann, 1970. Children's book.
*''In a Hundred Graves: A Basque Portrait''. University of Nevada Press, 1972.
*''Nevada: A Bicentennial History''. New York: Norton, 1977.
*''A Cup of Tea in Pamplona''. University of Nevada Press, 1985. Nominated for a 1985 Pulitzer Prize in fiction.
*''A Basque Hotel''. University of Nevada Press, 1989. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
*''A Time We Knew: Images of Yesterday in the Basque Homeland''. University of Nevada Press, 1990.
*''The Child of the Holy Ghost''. University of Nevada Press, 1992
*''A Lean Year and Other Stories''. University of Nevada Press, 1994. 16 Short Stories.
*''The Governor's Mansion''. University of Nevada Press, 1994.
*''Dust Devils'', University of Nevada Press, 1997.
*''A Private War: An American Code Officer in the Belgian Congo''. University of Nevada Press, 1998.
*''The Land of My Fathers: A Son's Return to the Basque Country''. University of Nevada Press, 1999.
*''Time of the Rabies''. University of Nevada Press, 2000.
*''Travels With My Royal: A Memoir of the Writing Life''. University of Nevada Press, 2001.
Books and Selected Articles About Robert Laxalt
* Etulain, Richard. "Robert Laxalt: Basque Writer of the American West" in ''Portraits of Basques in the New World''. University of Nevada Press; 1999. pp. 212–29.
* Lerude, Warren. ''Robert Laxalt: Stories of a Storyteller''. Reno, Nevada: Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno, 2013.
* Rio, David. ''Robert Laxalt: The Voice of the Basques in American Literature''. Reno, Nevada: Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno, 2007.
* Rio, David. "Robert Laxalt: A Basque Pioneer in the American Literary West." ''American Studies International''; 2003 Oct; 41(3): 60–81.
* Rio Raigades, David; Urza, Carmelo, translator. "Identity and Transition in In a Hundred Graves: A Basque Portrait." Journal of the Society of Basque Studies in America; 1995; 15: 62–73.
References
External links
Center for Basque Studies: Robert Laxalt"Robert Laxalt: A Basque Pioneer in the American Literary West"(Adobe Acrobat *.PDF document) by David Rio
in the
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'' is a daily subscription newspaper published in Las Vegas, Nevada, since 1909. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada and one of two daily newspapers in the Las Vegas area.
The ''Review-Journal'' ...
Nevada Writers Hall of FameRobert Laxalt papers, 85-09 Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno.
Photographs of Robert LaxaltOnline Digital Collection, University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laxalt, Robert
1923 births
2001 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
American people of Basque descent
Basque-American culture in Nevada
American male short story writers
People from Alturas, California
Writers from Reno, Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno faculty
20th-century American short story writers
20th-century American male writers
Novelists from California
20th-century American non-fiction writers
American male non-fiction writers
Santa Clara University alumni
University of Nevada, Reno alumni