Sant Jordi is not only the day to give (or give oneself) books and roses, it is also an opportunity to meet our favorite writers, having them spread around the city within a few minutes' walk. For the third consecutive year, CASA SEAT becomes another stop on the literary route, with multiple free activities, including talks and signings, which will begin on April 19 and run until April 23.
The program at CASA SEAT will kick off on Wednesday the 19th with a meeting on romantic novels that will feature the participation of writers Megan Maxwell and Inés Garber and actress and influencer Teresa López Cerdán. In the round table, moderated by Esther Escoriza, editor of Grupo Planeta, the authors will explore a genre often underestimated but that captivates thousands of readers, and will explain their experience on the process of creating and publishing a novel.
On Saturday the 22nd, a new cycle of CASA SEAT's Literary Cafes will kick off the Sant Jordi weekend with a talk on podcasts and literature. It will feature the participation of writer and literary critic Jorge Carrión, poet Jaime Rodríguez Zeta and writer Bob Pop. The authors will discuss the possibilities of podcasts, their experience as creators of these formats and their influence on literature and the publishing sector.
Also, on the afternoon of Saturday the 22nd, within the framework of the Barcelona International Film Festival (BCN Film Fest), CASA SEAT will offer a meeting on literature and cinema, two arts that coexist and feed each other to subsist. It will be moderated by journalist Roger de Gràcia and will feature local writers Gemma Ventura, Màrius Serra, Care Santos and Andreu Claret.
For Sant Jordi's Day, which this year falls on a Sunday, CASA SEAT will feature the latest phenomenon in young adult novels, Joana Marcús, who in 2022 became the second best-selling young adult author in Spain after, no less than, the world-renowned Harry Potter. The Mallorcan, at just 22 years old, will sign copies of her new book, Tres meses (Three Months), the third installment of the Meses a tu lado (Months by Your Side) saga, with 260,000 copies already sold. The writer started on the digital reading and writing platform Wattpad at the age of 13 and already in 2021 positioned her work Antes de diciembre (Before December) among the ten best-selling novels in several countries.
While waiting for the talks to begin or for the authors to arrive at their posts, the CASA SEAT restaurant will offer a special menu throughout the week for the most popular Catalan festivity. Made with seasonal products and with the creations of chef Aitor González, the menu will include a glass of cava, a signature tapa, and a creative dessert with a design inspired by the Sant Jordi dragon. Priced at 35 euros, reservations are recommended in advance.
And, for those who want a souvenir of Sant Jordi, CASA SEAT will give away prints made by illustrators Javier Olivares and Marta Cerdà, where they have captured their own interpretation of the traditional rose. Olivares, National Comic Award winner, pays homage to the figure of Mercè Rodoreda, while Cerdà has created a curvilinear work that represents love as a strong knot.
Children's activities: workshops and storytelling
In addition to the various talks and book signings planned, there will also be activities for the little ones. CASA SEAT has scheduled different children's workshops for April 23 to create bookmarks, mini-books, and other crafts related to Sant Jordi.
For those who prefer to be told stories, storyteller and puppeteer Assumpta Mercader will be present, who will interpret some great classics of literature such as The Little Prince, the well-known work by the Frenchman Antoine de Saint-Exupéry which this year celebrates its 80th anniversary. Mercader will also add a Barcelona touch by reading stories by Pere Calders. All of them, interpreted with the help of puppets and other set design elements.