They say the soul weighs twenty-one grams. But how many square meters does it have? And what is the population density per square meter at the Alma hotel during the Sant Jordi festival? At least enough so that, the next day, many people discover through the
Historic hotels often honor their illustrious guests of the past with tributes and commemorative acts. Because the intimate history of universal literature overlaps with the biography of a few dozen renowned establishments where writers
What is literature made of? Of emotions, structures, actions, ideas…, yes, of course, but above all, as you know, of words. One after another, they line up and mix first in the author’s mind and, then, in the reader’s. And if there is a literary party, its soul is those who have chosen some words and not others, and yesterday at the Alma hotel there were a lot.
We thank Gonzalo Celorio for representing, in his work and in his life, that fruitful dialogue between tradition and creation, between memory and future, between Mexico and Spain. For ultimately enriching our language and our literary heritage.” With these words, the King certified this Thursday the enduring union of both countries, “more than brothers,” in the Cervantes Prize award ceremony to the Mexican writer that took place in the main hall of the University of Alcalá de Henares.
Every Sant Jordi is unique. This one will be the one of pollen, as, added to the wind, it has been, books aside, one of the protagonists of the day. Although the streets are always filled with books and roses and Casa Batlló once again dresses its facade for the occasion, the circumstances change: the weather –sun is expected for much of the day–, the authors signing, or even the sections where stalls are set up can change. This 2026, for example, the traditional and iconic image of La Rambla full of stalls will not take place due to construction work and, instead, will be replaced by a new literary axis that will start at Portal de l’Àngel and extend through Plaza Nova and Plaza de la Catedral and up to Via Laietana.
In the world of letters, on the fine line between literature and non-literature, and between reality and fiction, we add authors who, without having book writing as the center of their professional life, will also be at the stands signing books today. This is the case of Natza Farré, one of the attendees at La Vanguardia’s party, who assures that she feels equally strange “in the world of literati, as in the journalistic, as in the media, because I am not part of any group,” but thanks to all those worlds, she assures that she makes a living writing, something that many authors cannot say.
An old saying goes that “the eve tells the tale of the day,” and judging by how crowded the hall and garden of the Alma hotel were, the crystal ball predicted a magnificent Sant Jordi last night. Patrici Tixis, communications director of Grupo Planeta, predicted a “spectacular” Diada, giving voice to a unanimous premonition among the publishers, agents, and booksellers who attended La Vanguardia’s party, a “glorious” Book Day due to the convergence of two factors: a working day and benign weather.
It is the first time that the photo of authors illustrating the cover of La Vanguardia on Sant Jordi’s day features a Nobel Prize in Literature winner. And, logically, a place of honor is reserved for her, right on the first sofas that the Alma hotel has arranged on its rooftop. Han Kang arrives with time. She looks happy. She is visibly grateful to be meeting with barely thirty people, instead of the 700 who crowded the CCCB the day before, waiting to see her appear. She is a sensitive thinker. Crowds overwhelm her. But here, the views of the Sagrada Família in the background, with the cross already crowning the tower of Jesus, seem to have a calming effect. This, and the presence of Xavi Ayén, the man who whispered to the Nobels and who, since interviewing her a few days ago in London, seems to be her confidant.
A literary party. But not just any one. This is one of the big ones, La Vanguardia’s. There isn’t a writer signing at Sant Jordi who doesn’t stop by, even if just to say hello, at the Alma hotel on the eve of such a significant day. And not just writers. “It’s already a tradition,” assured Jordi Juan, director of the newspaper, in his welcome speech, in which there were no shortage of words of remembrance for journalists Lluís Permanyer, Joan de Sagarra, and Arturo San Agustín, who passed away in 2025 and were much loved in the newsroom.
Despite it being a literary night, there was no music for chameleons at the Sant Jordi party, nor could one dance to the music of time due to the large number of people gathered in the gardens of the Alma hotel. Instead, one could listen to the melodies performed by the Quintet de l’Alma, which, as on previous occasions, was in charge of providing the soundtrack for the event. Led by Edu Miralles on clarinet, the Barcelona-based group combined jazz standards with Italian lyrical songs, featuring Iñaki Rodríguez on drums, Jairo Ortega on piano, Brady Lynch on double bass, and the voice of crooner Stefano Riva, a familiar face from the Barcelona Jazz Festival who didn’t forget to sing Elvis’s Can’t Help Falling in Love, nor Fly Me to the Moon, so appropriate this year when Earth’s old companion has once again received a visit from humans.