Sant Jordi Day in Barcelona and Catalonia has recorded estimated sales of 27 million euros, surpassing last year's figures. Eduardo Mendoza and Regina Rodríguez Sirvent lead the provisional fiction rankings in Spanish and Catalan, respectively, during a sunny day filled with signings, roses, and long queues. Mayor Jaume Collboni highlighted the romantic atmosphere of the event.
The Sant Jordi celebration, Day of the Book and the Rose, unfolded without incidents in a sunny atmosphere, with streets turned into a sea of books and flowers. Booksellers, publishers, and authors show satisfied faces amid very long queues for signatures from figures like Joël Dicker, Ana Milán, Eduardo Mendoza, Pedro Almodóvar, and David Uclés. At Finestres bookstore, Almodóvar's and Uclés's books sold out by 11 a.m.
According to provisional rankings from the Cámara del Libro de Catalunya and the Gremi de Llibreters, sales will reach 27 million euros. In Spanish fiction, 'La intriga del funeral inconveniente' by Eduardo Mendoza (Seix Barral) leads, followed by 'Maite' by Fernando Aramburu and 'Comerás flores' by Lucía Solla Sobral. In Catalan, 'Crispetes de matinada' by Regina Rodríguez Sirvent (La Campana) tops the list.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni praised the day at the institutional breakfast as a unique event of Catalan culture, books, roses, and romantic love. Mendoza described it as "a very intense, beautiful, and tiring day," while Rodríguez Sirvent called it a "madness" with emotional readers. International authors like Han Kang, Amélie Nothomb, and Joël Dicker drew crowds.
Young readers formed early queues for signatures from Alice Kellen, Blue Jeans, or Joana Marcús, viewing signed books as sentimental treasures. Pregonera Ali Smith advocated for public libraries.
