Robert Laxalt , a writer's writer, is a revered teacher, and the voice of the Basque immigrants in America. His classic Sweet Promised Land (1957), about his father Dominique Laxalt, was followed by In a Hundred Graves (1972), Nevada: A History (1977), A Cup of Tea in Pamplona (1985), A Man in the Wheatfield (1987), and Nevada: A Bicentennial History (1991). His trilogy, The Basque Hotel (1989), Child of the Holy Ghost (1992) and The Governor's Mansion (1994), continues the saga of Laxalt's Basque heritage.
Since 1988, Laxalt occupied the Distinguished Nevada Author chair at UNR. His seminars attracted diverse students from the university and the community. "Take your writing seriously," Laxalt advised students, "But don't take yourselves too seriously." His latest works include: A Lean Year and Other Stories (1994) and Dust Devil (1997).
Laxalt, founder of the University of Nevada Press and brother of former Nevada governor and U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt, passed away on March 23, 2001 at the age of 77.