page_title: Antonio Arrúe Zarauz
section_title: Basque: theorist and practitioner
hierarchical_section_title: Antonio Arrúe Zarauz / Basque: theorist and practitioner
caption_attribution_description: English: front cover of a review Egan, issue 1-6, 1967
context_page_description: Antonio Arrúe Zarauz was a Spanish politician and a Basque cultural activist. Politically he was a Carlist militant throughout all of his life; in the 1950s and 1960s Arrue informally led the Gipuzkoan branch of the party, and from 1957 to 1959 he held the official Traditionalist jefatura in the province. Form 1967 to 1971 he served in the Cortes elected from the so-called tercio familiar. He contributed to Basque culture mostly as organizer and administrator, during the Francoist era engaged especially in Euskaltzaindia. His input as linguist or ethnographer is moderate, though he excelled as one of the best Basque-language orators of his time.
context_section_description: Arrúe, an amateur with no professional background either in linguistics or ethnography, was in the second row of those scientifically contributing to the Basque culture. His works – articles published in Basque- and Spanish-language periodicals, mostly in Egan – are loosely scattered across many disciplines: history of Basque literature, history of Basque linguistics, grammar of Basque language, Basque dialectology, history of Basque social movement, Basque anthropology,  theory of contemporary Basque poetry, Basque history, Basque cuisine and foreign literature; it was only the question of Basque political ambitions that he avoided – at least in the Francoist Spain – and usually approached only as part of the Carlist history.
  Arrúe's role in theoretical development of the Basque language and culture is perhaps dwarfed by his practical contribution. Since the 1930s he has been hailed by media, colleagues and Vascófilos as a great speechmaker, who has not only transplanted spoken Basque from barns to congress halls, but also brought it to unprecedented rhetorical mastery. Considered one of the best Basque orators of his time, he was acknowledged not for highly emotional inflammatory style, but rather for smoothness, sense of humor, vivacity and fluidity. His practical contribution to written Basque, apart from scientific articles, covers also short poems, usually humorous light pieces like a praise of the Jerez sherry, occasionally winning prizes during local contests.
caption: Egan, 1967
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