Xabier Lete

Xabier Lete Bergaretxe (Oiartzun, Gipuzkoa, April 5, 1944 - Donostia, December 4, 2010) was a Basque writer, poet, singer and politician.

In 1965 he created a band of Basque Music with Mikel Laboa, Benito Lertxundi, Joxean Artze, Jose Angel Irigarai and Lourdes Iriondo.

The band, which was called "Ez Dok Amairu", disappeared in 1972, but Xabier Lete kept on singing with Lourdes Iriondo, who, by that time, had become his wife.

He took part in the birth of the group Ez Dok Amairu, and it was Jorge Oteiza the man who gave the name to the band.

In the same way, other singers have also used Lete´s poems for their musical works, such as Mikel Laboa, Antton Valverde, Imanol Larzabal or Benito Lertxundi, for example.

In this work it was noticeable the influence of Gabriel Aresti´s social poetry and Lete used his words to denounce the societal injustices of the time.

In 2009 Lete received an award for his book of poems "Egunsentiaren esku izotzak" and that same year he was made member of Jakiunde, the Basque Academy of Science, Art and Letters.

During the 80´s he occupied the posts of General Director, then Councillor, after that he got into the Department of Culture of Gipuzkoa´s Local Council, but due to health problems, he definitely gave up public activity.