La casa del padre en ruinas. La narrativa de Karmele Jaio

Abstract This article will analyze the thematic and poetic axes that govern Karmele Jaio’s literary universe, with special focus on narrative production formed by three books of short stories—Hamabost zauri (2004; Heridas crónicas, 2010), Zu bezain ahul (2007), and Ez naiz ni (2012)—and two novels—Amaren eskuak (2006; Las manos de mi madre, 2008) and Musika airean (2010; Música en el aire, 2013)—as well as the recipient of the latest Premio Euskadi 2020: Aitaren etxea (2019; La casa del padre, 2020). Jaio’s literary trajectory delves into the silences, lack of communication, and longings of characters many times constrained by gender roles. Women become protagonists in Jaio’s literary universe, a place saturated with glances, memories, and gestures in an intimacy and corporeality that transcends and moves, and has been adapted in the film Amaren eskuak-Las manos de mi madre (2013) by Mireia Gabilondo, also analyzed here in dialogue with Jaio’s original novel. This close reading will situate the author in context with the most recent Basque narrative and serves to interpret, from the commemoration of a violent political past, a contemporary reality marked by the end of decades of terrorism.