Xabier Amuriza was born in Etxano, now Amorebieta-Etxano, in 1941. He entered the seminary at the age of twelve and was an ordained priest at twenty-four. He actively participated in the "Gogor" priests movement and was imprisoned twice during the Franco dictatorship and once again during the so-called democracy, with a total of seven years behind bars. He left the priesthood in 1976, got married and had a daughter. He currently lives in Berriz, Bizkaia. He has been a councilman, assemblyman and parliamentarian in the Basque Autonomous Community for Herri Batasuna, although he is better known for his activity as a "bertsolari", in which he was the champion of Euskal Herria in 1980 and 1982. A columnist in "EGIN" from its birth, he is a regular contributor in "Gara" and has collaborated with a number of magazines. He has published numerous books in Euskara dealing with versolarismo, novels and music.
