They started as favorites on the grid and the predictions came true. Eduardo Mendoza and Regina Rodríguez Sirvent were yesterday’s best-selling fiction authors, in Spanish and Catalan, for Sant Jordi. That Crispetes de matinada (La Campana / Suma) was going to receive this recognition was known by publishers and booksellers, who saw how the piles of books by the author from Puigcerdà disappeared by the moment. In the case of Mendoza and La intriga del funeral inconveniente (Seix Barral), some had their doubts after the writer made some statements that caused some controversy, in which he recommended calling this day Book Day instead of Sant Jordi, because “Sant Jordi was an animal abuser and probably couldn’t read.” Statements that he quickly said were a joke and that he was sorry if they had been taken badly. So much so, that on the lapel of his jacket he wore a dragon with a rose, as a nod.
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Despite constant criticism on social media since then and the occasional insult during the day from a spontaneous passerby, it must be said that his readers have been faithful, as the queues to meet him were long and did not cease throughout the day. “I’m not saying he might not have lost some readers, but most of those booing him weren’t buying his books before anyway. I don’t think this will affect him too much, beyond the logical annoyance. The number of people here speaks for itself,” assured Carmen Font, one of his readers, who arrived an hour before the author was expected to ensure she could see him.
Mendoza thanked the good reception, despite everything, of his new and outlandish story, which once again features his grotesque and most mysterious detective as the protagonist. “It has been a very intense, very beautiful day, although tiring, but I am very happy. The encounter with readers, the warmth, the complicity, is always a joy, and it’s nice that it repeats every year,” he explained by phone after learning he was one of the best-sellers.
His editor, Elena Ramírez, who did not leave his side at any moment, also showed joy at the news: “We just found out and Eduardo is still signing. The queue is long and he still has a while to go. The truth is, we are very happy.”
For her part, Regina Rodríguez Sirvent celebrated her triumph and that of this story with La Vanguardia, which promises to repeat the same success, or similar, to that of her debut, Les calces al sol.
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One more festival day —with the permission of the roses—, books have been the main protagonists of Sant Jordi. Despite weather that brought pleasant temperatures but was uncomfortable with wind and annoying pollen, no one wanted to stay home and readers flocked to the streets to get their eagerly awaited novel.
In an edition marked by the new literary axis, the stalls have moved to Portal de l’Àngel, passing through Plaza Nova and the Cathedral square to Via Laietana, a route that has managed to compete with the more traditional scene of Las Ramblas, currently under construction.
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In this ideal setting for buying and gifting literature, the most popular novels in Catalan have shared space in the stalls alongside Spanish-language works, by authors such as Regina Rodríguez Sirvent, Gil Pratsobrerroca, Albert Espinosa, David Uclés, or Eduardo Mendoza. Similarly, non-fiction has taken center stage through great proposals by journalists, comedians, or researchers such as Oriol Mitjà, Òscar Andreu, or Natza Farré.
