There will be all types and all prices. From five to more than 10,000 euros for a handmade Japanese pen with urushi lacquer. The Barcelona Style Association has given a boost to the Pen Show that has been organized in the city for 17 years. This weekend there will be fifty exhibitors from France, Italy, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Russia, Turkey and Germany and various activities to show and, above all, spread the passion for ink, paper and pens in the reign of the keyboard and screens.
The Parker 21 with which he took all his notes for his degree – industrial engineering back in the sixties – is the most beloved pen of Josep Llorach, the president of the Associació Stylogràfica de Barcelona-Barcelona Pen Club. One of his favorites among the more than 3,000 that he has. Hundreds, thousands of fountain pens are collected by each of the members of the association – established a year ago, after countless monthly meetings – that have given a turn to the new edition (number 17) of the Pen Show Barcelona, ??in which they await about 400 visitors.
For the first time it is held at the Hotel Catalonia Ramblas. During tomorrow (from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and Sunday (from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), in the room where La Vanguardia was printed decades ago, pen lovers will be able to buy and admire thousands of pieces – the twenty tables for exhibitors of editions passed have become 59 this year – and material to write about.
Visitors, both amateurs and experts, will be able to let themselves be guided by members of the association to learn more about the history and value of these pieces, from artisanal ones to those from the most renowned brands, or perhaps buying advice: “Do you want you a pen? Well, you will have to take into account the size of your hand, if you want a lot of ink or a little to go down…”, explains Daniel Trullols, treasurer of the entity.
Several activities are added to the very extensive exhibition, such as a talk on fountain inks, a book binding demonstration, an Arabic calligraphy workshop with a pen, or a writing workshop for children (Sunday morning). “The importance of writing by hand and its benefits have been proven,” says Daniel Trullols. This activity is one of the initiatives that the association promotes at its headquarters, in the Casa dels Entremesos, and that it wants to extend to schools so that the pen gains weight.
In addition to the organization of the Pen Show, the annual international fair that starts tomorrow, the association organizes monthly meetings to address all types of topics related to the world of fountain pens and handwriting with talks by experts and professionals in the sector. This year, the entity also named Rafel Pujol i Marigot, one of the greatest collectors and connoisseurs of Hispanic writing and author of the book La Ventafocs, an honorary member.