Once again, on April 23rd, the streets of Barcelona filled with hundreds of thousands of people browsing and buying books and roses to gift to their loved ones for World Book Day. It was a beautiful event as always, no wonder it’s one of our favorite days of the year!
Among everyone out and about, hundreds of authors can be found at the bookstore stands, signing books and meeting lucky readers, several Pontas authors among them.
For Spanish author Mayte Uceda (pictured below), this was her first Sant Jordi in Barcelona signing books. Her novel El maestro de azúcar (The Sugar Master) has been a hit among readers and is on it’s 4th reprint since publication in January 2024 by Editorial Planeta. Her editors couldn’t resist bringing her to Barcelona for this special day. Translation rights have been sold into French (Hauteville/Bragelonne), Russian (Azbooka/Atticus), and Slovenian (HKZ).
Catalan authors Laura Gost (below, left) and Laura Calçada Barres (below right) signed copies of their latest titles, released in 2023. Laura Gost is the author of Les cendres a la piscina (The Ashes in the Pool), which won the 2023 Proa Novel Award and the XXI Premi de Narrativa Maria Àngels Anglada. Laura Calçada Barres’ debut, Fucking New York, is a memoir published by Destino in September of 2023 and she is currently working on her next book.
Even though new releases top the bestseller lists on the days around Sant Jordi, booksellers also invite many authors to sign books that are not necessarily new releases! Pictured below, journalist and writer Xavier Aldekoa signed copies of all his backlist, both in the original Spanish, and translated into Catalan. His most recent book is Quijote en el Congo (Quixote in the Congo River).
Ennatu Domingo (below left) also enjoyed her second Sant Jordi, signing copies of her 2023 debut memoir, Fusta d’eucaliptus cremada (Burnt Eucalyptus Wood), over a year after its initial publication in Catalan with Navona. The book has been translated into Spanish (Navona) and English (The Indigo Press), and is forthcoming in German (Orlanda Verlag) and Korean (Adonis Books). Fellow Catalan author Blanca Busquets (below right) signed copies of her recently released new novel, Els dies robats (The Stolen Days), published in the original Catalan by Proa.
Sant Jordi is also a day for younger audiences to enjoy and explore the magic of books! Martí Gironell (below left, pictured with Anna Soler-Pont, Carolina Martínez, and Clara Rosell from the Pontas team) signed copies of his new beloved picture book for children, A Mole at the Olympic Games (Un talp als jocs olímpics), the third adventure starring Felip the mole! Montse Barderi (below right), an author who has recently joined the Pontas Agency again, also signed copies of a new book she has just published for middle-grade readers, La Teresa se'n va a la Lluna (Teresa Goes to the Moon).
See you next year!