Born in Tolosa (Guipuzcoa) the 23rd January 1928. He is member of the Company of Jesus since he was 17 years-old. He studied Philosophy and Theology. He was named member of the Basque Language Academy in 1964 and Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Deusto in 1999.

Impulsed by his liking to popular literature, he began to compile written bertsos since 1950, work which he hasn't given up since then.

In 1961 he created the Auspoa collection, in which in 40 years he has published more than 300 books: biographies of bertsolaris, events and bertsos; popular stories; books that show the lifestyle of an epoch; romances, narrations... Auspoa is the most prolific collection in which Basque popular literature is treated, and not only from the point of view of bertsolaritza, but also from an anthropological, historical, sociological and a literary one. Zabala has been compiler, researcher and promoter, since he has made a great work finding people of great interest and animating them to write.