Dolores Redondo brings Basque culture to Hollywood

All the media are shouting it from the rooftops: NBCUniversal and Heyday Fims, the producers of the Harry Potter series and owned by David Heyman, have just announced that they are going to produce a series based on “The North Face of the Heart”.  Included in the agreement are the three films of the Baztán Trilogy (“The Invisible Guardian”, “The Legacy of the Bones”, and “Offering to the Storm”) which have made this author famous all over the world.

This is fantastic news for Dolores Redondo, and a fair achievement that only goes to show the high quality of her work.  But, for us, it has a value that seems even more important to us: it’s going to bring Basque culture to screens across the globe.

Amaia Salazar, the Navarrese Police detective who is the protagonist of these stories, is going to share an image of everything Basque that is hardly ever appropriately reflected in large-scale cinematic productions, as these can help create a positive, or negative, image of the matters, people, and countries discussed in their stories.

As we said when we discussed the success of the novels or the repercussions the Netflix series is going to have on this trilogy: “these books tell a story where a detective for the Navarrese Police, Amaia Salazar, lives in a modern world but which is deeply rooted in ancient traditions.  It’s a world where the Basque language is alive, where mythology and the traditional Basque ways of organizing society play a fundamental role, and were the matriarchy has a notable specific weight.”

Dolores Redondo is not alone in having a golden opportunity with this project.  It’s also an extraordinary opportunity to share Basque culture and advertise the reality of our nation which is almost always, or indeed just always, hidden from the world.

We’re sure that the fundamental role “everything Basque” plays in these stories will be felt in the cinematic adaptations.  That’s why we believe we shouldn’t only congratulate Dolores Redondo for this great news, but also thank her because of this amazing and unique opportunity she has given Basque culture to introduce itself to the world.  This is something we should be very happy about.

We must also thank her for the statements she gave, and what they reflect, when she accept the award the Sabino Arana Foundation gave her in 2018:

“In each of my novels, the choice of a setting comes from the most intimate of me, from my roots and culture, from what I am, and from the soil that will cover me when I die.  From the class of the family I was born and raised in, from the women I respect and admire, and from the men I love.  From a territory that is so rich that it transcends, and stops being a simple setting the characters transit through to turn into something alive, and powerful.  From the strength of its legends, of its most deeply-rooted beliefs, of a rich and unique culture, and of its honesty, because I might surprise you one day with my choice of settings for my novels, but I assure you that in each one, there is commitment and truth, and the only thing that makes fiction believable is honesty with oneself while writing.

Because of all of this, I am going to dedicate this award to the greatest return my books have given me in these years, which is undoubtedly getting to know you, my friends in the Baztán.  I dedicate this award to Inés Larruy, whose family is still making urrakin egiña chocolate in the traditional Baztán way, to Juanjo Leiza de Bertan Baztan, to Marijose of the Urruska house, to Juan Mari Ondikol and Beatriz Ruiz de Larrínaga, who for the pure love of reading have been guiding thousands of readers along the routes of my novels in Elizondo for over six years, and with great affection, to Miriam, who left us not long ago, and now lives in Heaven over Elizondo, and laughs at us when it rains.  I dedicate it to the Baztán, for being the home of Amaia Salazar and for being my home.  And to Bilbao, because there are cities, territories, and places that inspire stories, tales, and dreams, and others that make them come true.”
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By the way, whenever we speak of the Valley of the Baztán, we always recall the study on DNA that was carried out there, showing that the current residents of that part of the Land of the Basques descend directly from the inhabitants who lived there 15,000 years ago.

DeadLine – 20/10/2021 – USA

David Heyman’s Heyday Television Options Four Dolores Redondo Novels

EXCLUSIVE: David Heyman’s Heyday Television has optioned four novels from award-winning Spanish noir author Dolores Redondo: The North Face of the Heart and its Baztan Trilogy prequel, the latter of which has already been made into three Netflix films.

(Follow) (Automatic translation)

Queridos lectores, soy muy feliz al compartir con vosotros que NBCUniversal y Heyday, los productores de Harry Potter, acaban de hacer público que producirán una serie basada en “La cara norte del corazón” 100% Hollywood.

¡Celebremos!https://t.co/X8PWgYOydR pic.twitter.com/CTbZxC3QFP

— Dolores Redondo (@DoloresRedondoM) October 19, 2021

Last Updated on Oct 20, 2021 by About Basque Country