Sant Jordi, adds and continues

All the contained and sorrowful nature that the Barcelona specimen usually is, is left at home for Sant Jordi. Little accustomed to public displays of affection, and much less to giving flowers, locals surrender to a collective demonstration of kisses and roses, losing their shyness and feeling happy for no apparent reason, almost out of obligation. They even dare to talk to strangers and quickly consider them new friends, strengthening an intimacy that is born accidentally when they share vital space during the long queues to meet their favorite authors or during the dense rivers of people that are experienced at any time of the day.

Although this time it has fallen on a working day, this April 23 has not slowed down either, with a constant commotion from the early hours of the morning, giving some rest to be able to calmly appreciate the book covers during lunch. The threat of rain has ended up being nothing and a cool climate has made the day more pleasant, without the storms of two years ago nor the intense heat of last year. With La Rambla completely recovered on the route through the book and rose stalls, many have walked from end to end, like Paula, Carla and Laia, students from Sant Jaume de la Fep, in La Torrassa de L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, who were not skipping class, but had come with their school on an excursion. Some of their classmates already had their bags full of books and there was no doubt that they hoped, if possible, to complement them with a rose.

They were not the only locals strolling along the Rambla, demonstrating that on some days Barcelonians claim it as their own and manage to corner the usual tourists, completely disoriented by not understanding that paellas have been replaced by books. "In Ciutat Vella we also read," defended one of the promenade's quintessential florists, Carolina, who hasn't stopped for a minute, "this is the Rambla I like best, with roses and books." Concerned about the lack of local product, old acquaintances of Flors Carolina took turns to get one of her roses, an annual tradition for customers like Loren, who came with her whole family and assured that they only missed the year of the pandemic, and Elvira, 98 years old, who stops by to say hello every Friday and, obviously, every April 23rd, and didn't miss a single one while Carolina prepared her rose. The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, is also one of those who swell the list of regulars at Flors Carolina.

Passers-by were reluctant to invade the roadway, even though the Urban Guard did not allow cars to circulate on the Rambla, until the throng made it inevitable to dare to conquer those spaces usually crammed with cars. With the interlude of Plaza Catalunya, the route continued to Paseo de Gràcia, consolidated for some years now as the central axis of the diada, with the main bookstores and publishers concentrated on a traffic-free street that stretches to Gran de Gràcia. It is there where writers sharpened their pens at the arrival of fans, feeling for a day as if they were rock stars or Hollywood actors.

There are mass leaders like Javier Castillo, with three-hour-long signing sessions and yet his queue seemed endless, or Sonsoles Ónega, who admitted she didn't have much experience with Sant Jordi, but was "happy and surprised, the reader's gaze is unique." An unbeatable Eduardo Mendoza also stirred passions, with followers bringing him totebags full of copies and listing the different family members to whom he had to dedicate them. Another tireless figure of the day, Sergi Pàmies, who was a bit hoarse and feared ending the day without a voice, received completely emotional readers.

Then there are those who not only sign but also give something to the fans who seek them out. The one who clearly won the match was Juan Pablo Villalobos, who showed up at the stands with a folder full of stories, numbered and signed, "fanzine-style," and handed them out to every reader who asked for an autograph. It wasn't the first time the Mexican author came with gifts, recalling when he distributed his first story written in Catalan and titled Obra completa en catalán, because he had nothing else. He doesn't rule out a new volume on another April 23. "It seems like a global miracle that in a time of despondency like this there is a day when everyone seems happy and is obliged to buy books," Villalobos said. Pol Guasch also got into the spirit of giving gifts, with stickers of Ofert a les mans, el paradís crema (Anagrama), widely given to friends as he has been able to detect, hitting the nail on the head with the plot of his second novel.

Guasch had recharged his batteries for the day, precisely, with the help of his friend Jana, who had brought him a juice and a rose. Others preferred to go with the flow, like his publishing house colleague Clara Queraltó, also a winner like him of the Anagrama Books Prize, in her case, with Com un batec en un micròfon. Of course, she had brought a couple of pens. Some authors who only have a few Sant Jordi's under their belt, like Mar García Puig, who changed sides ---translator and Congress deputy--- and debuted last year with La historia de los vertebrados (Random House/La Magrana), extending the signings for one more April 23 and managing to defy the editorial title shredder, the true success of the book festival.