On April 23rd, World Book Day, the streets of Barcelona filled with thousands of people browsing and buying books and roses for their loved ones to celebrate Sant Jordi (as a long-held tradition in Catalonia to celebrate World Book Day). It was sunny but windy, and despite the flowers that thousands of London plane trees were spreading and making everyone's throats itchy and eyes watery, the energy was immaculate as always!
Hundreds of authors could be found at the bookstore and publisher stands, signing books and meeting fans, with several Pontas authors among them as usual. We loved to see readers excited by the prospect of meeting their favorite authors for a brief moment and bonding over stories.
We started the morning off by visiting Xavier Aldekoa and Blanca Busquets, no strangers to Sant Jordi as they attend almost yearly. Esteemed journalist Xavier Aldekoa (below left) was signing copies of his latest books published by Península: África Redonda (Round Africa), a collection of nonfiction about how the established popularity of football in Africa ties to resilience, community, and hope; and a newly published edition of his first book, Océano África (Africa Ocean). Blanca Busquets signed copies of her latest novel, Habitacions compartides (Shared Rooms), published by Proa. Already on its second reprint, the novel is set in a hospital and readers follow the intimate inner monologues of two patients, whose lives have been marked by love and loss, by family secrets and long-kept silences.
Actress and author Elvira Mínguez travelled from Madrid to Barcelona to promote her second novel, La educación del monstruo (The Education of the Monster), a haunting and deeply human story that explores how fear and memory can shape a life forever, which won the 2026 Primavera Novel Award (Premio Primavera de Novela) and was recently published by Espasa/Planeta. Pictured below (left) with Anna Soler-Pont and Clara Rosell from the Pontas team.
Mayte Uceda and recent Pontas client Miguel Gane (pictured below together) also travelled into Barcelona for Sant Jordi to present their latest titles. Mayte Uceda was signing copies of Amores paralelos (Parallel Loves), which was published in January by Editorial Planeta in the original Spanish and it already on its second reprint. Miguel Gane had readers line up with copies of his latest poetry collection Roma ardiendo y tú bailando (Rome is burning, you are dancing), which was recently published in the original Spanish by Aguilar/PRH. We were able to introduce both of them as they happened to be at the same stand for an hour that morning!
Catalan authors and Sant Jordi veterans Martí Gironell and Montse Barderi also coincided at the same book stand later in the morning. Martí Gironell, the bestselling Catalan historical fiction novelist, who never misses a year, was signing copies of two of his latest children's books, including his latest release L'última pantalla (The Last Screen), a MG adventure novel involding a mysterious 1980s arcade machine which was published by the Estrella Polar imprint in early February. Montse Barderi was presenting her latest novel, published a few months ago, in September 2025, entitled El mar, que brilla i riu (The sea which shined and laughs), a story of the importance of selflove, identity, friendship, the body, books, sex and miracles.
Last but not least, we finished the day with two more Catalan authors. Aleix Sarri, signed copies of his successful title Ànima de república (The soul of a republic), published by Comanegra in the original Catalan and already on its 4th reprint, after having sold over 2.500 copies. The book is a narrative journey into the great episodes and protagonists of the Catalan political chronicle from 1409 to 1714, which are often an unsettling mirror of the current relationship between Catalonia and Spain. Ethiopian-born Catalan author Ennatu Domingo enjoyed her third Sant Jordi, four years after her first time, when she had published her debut Fusta d’Eucaliptus Cremada (Burnt Eucalyptus Wood). Now she returned to share and sign copies of her second book, A un costat i a l’altre del mirall (On Both Sides of the Mirror), published in the original Catalan and also translated into Spanish by Navona, a book of reflections on race and gender between Europe and Africa, stemming from her experience as a volunteer in a United Nations refugee camp in Greece.
See you next year, Barcelona!