There is no festival of Sant Joan in which a bonfire is not lit, wishes are made and the sky is filled with fireworks. Nor in which a mysterious man stops buying the same book and asks the clerk to give it away to the first person who passes by shortly before 8:00 p.m.
The volume in question is La vida instrucciones de uso, by Georges Perec, one of the most outstanding authors of French literature of the 20th century. “It is a personal tribute to a writer I love very much and a way to continue looking for readers for him,” the person involved explains to La Vanguardia, who prefers not to reveal his identity.
There are many who have tried to find out his name since the Calders bookstore in Barcelona announced on Twitter that the enigmatic individual had appeared there and left instructions. In fact, he admits that in an article from a few years ago the surprise was revealed, but he asks not to remember it and “leave it anonymous. At the end of the day, what matters is the gesture.” Although it is not particularly difficult to find him on social networks, many users prefer it that way, as they suggest in his comments. “That’s the magic.”
What did arouse curiosity was the day and time, since “it is one of those days when shops close earlier, since everyone has the right to celebrate the festival,” reflected a tweeter. Like everything in this story, she also has an explanation. “The entire novel in question takes place at the time of the death of its main character, Percival Bartlebooth, on June 23, 1975, a little before eight in the evening,” recalls the individual. A day that readers have dubbed Bartlebooth ’s day and that each year gains more followers, including Màrius Serra, who today remembers his protagonist in an article in this newspaper.
From the Calders bookstore, Isabel Sucunza, one of the founding members, admits that “she had never seen anything like it. Sometimes people buy a copy and ask to leave it on the counter for a child or friend to pick up as a gift. But this? This is the first time something like this has happened! And, to be honest, it seems to me a precious and original action”.
The bookseller applauds “so much devotion and admiration for a work”, to the point that the gesture becomes “a kind of tribute to Perec without expecting anything in return”. He is also grateful that his bookstore is the one chosen this year, as he explains that “the boy told us that every year he chooses a different one, although the ritual is always the same.”
For all these reasons, Sucunza assured this newspaper yesterday that they would close “a little later than expected. The occasion deserves it. Although I don’t know if too many people will enter the premises on a night like this.” Luckily, they did and the “mission” was carried out successfully once again. The mystery now is… Which bookstore will play next year?
