Daniel Fernández, the editor of Edhasa, arrives at the party soaked: “Since the publishing house is close by, I came for a walk and got caught in the downpour. But tomorrow it won’t rain.” It is the general invocation of the entire guild. “I heard someone say that these days we editors look like meteorologists, but also farmers, looking at the sky all day,” says Maria Sempere, from the Les Hores publishing house. And Rosa Rey, from Angle Editorial, goes one step further: “I think God is angry with us because we publish too much and that’s why it rains.”
Jokes aside, Núria Cabutí, from Penguin Random House, is very happy with this Sant Jordi because, in addition to the good expectations, “David Walliams has been the writer who made the proclamation of Sant Jordi.” The English writer, a best-selling children’s book, “has encouraged all children to read, and that is very good.” The publisher announces that 200 of its authors will be signing in the streets of Barcelona tomorrow. Eugènia Broggi, from L’Al tra Editorial, also supports “a Sant Jordi of children’s and young people’s books”, and for its authors: “Ramon Mas (Els murs invisibles), Alba Dedeu (La conformista) and the Documenta de Mari award Arimany (Al bosc s’hi ha d’arrribar quan encara és fosc)”.
Emili Rosales, from Grup 62, declares that “this is the year of music, because Ramon Gener’s book is the story of a piano, Carme Riera’s is the story of a diva and Jordi Puntí’s is the story of Xavier Cugat And he predicts that the biography of Josep Pla Un cor furtiu, by Xavier Pla, “is not only a great book for this Sant Jordi, but it will be the book of the decade”.
Silvia Sesé, from Anagrama, appears with many authors, of which three books stand out: “Fortuna, by Hernán Díaz; General rehearsal, by Milena Busquets; and the Llibres Anagrama Com un batec en un microphone award, by Clara Queraltó”.
Sandra Ollo, editor of Acantilado and Quaderns Crema, announces that, after twenty years, they are returning to Passeig de Gràcia, and is betting on The School of the Soul, by Josep M. Esquirol, “an author who already gave a surprise three years ago ” with Humano, más humano, and also by El murmurlo del agua, by María Belmonte.
Maria Bohigas, from Club Editor, firmly believes that Eva Baltasar’s fourth novel, Chance and Fascination, is the confirmation of an exceptional author. And it also highlights from its catalog a translation from Yiddish, A passes ceges per la terra, by Leib Ròkhman, which “is arousing remarkable interest”.
Aniol Rafel, from Periscopi, assures that the event “will go well for everyone, because it seems that the weather will be good, and since the proposals are diverse and varied, each reader can find what they are looking for. In fact, the weekend has already worked very well where it has already been held.” Therefore, “that Sant Jordi falls on a Tuesday is no setback for the festival to work.”
Carles Creuheras, from Planeta, says: “I have been in the sector for thirty years and I continue to marvel at the enthusiasm with which readers and books shake hands on Sant Jordi.” And Ester Pujol, from Enciclopèdia, concludes: “Even if Barça fails us, Sant Jordi never fails us.”
