On egiñaren obaria

Abstract

• On egiñaren obaria (The reward for the job well done) is the only novel that
  Martin Ugarte Saletxe ever published. He was a farmer, factory worker and
  writer all at once, although he is better known as a poet. He published both
  Tankalaren leloa (The saying of the mill) and the long repertoire of pastoral
  poems, Aizkorri artzain-poema (Pastoral poems of Aizkorri), in the book entitled
  Jatorriaren errotik (From the root of origin) and the author from Legazpis reputation
  grew thanks to the work. The plot centres around Joxe-Prantxisko, an
  eccentric healer who interferes in the lives of the other characters. It describes
  the way of life of the inhabitants of the interior of Gipuzkoa at the end of the
  19th century: the everyday experience of people accustomed to harsh conditions.
  The incredibly rich speech and developed descriptions do not hinder, or at
  least not always, the entertaining tale. A traditional novel, written by an author
  without any trace of modernity, it offers nonetheless a joyful reading. The purpose
  of this article is to make known the novel that reports on the ordinary
  people in the south of Gipuzkoa at the end of the 19th century, as well as to draw
  deserved attention to the author, who is not famous.