Pilarín Bayés: "If we Catalans were like Sant Jordi every day, we would be a world power."

BarcelonaThe building at 4 Peu de la Creu Street, in Barcelona's Raval neighborhood, has memory and culture glued to its walls. For years, it housed the offices of Edicions 62, until it left and the headquarters of the Democratic Memorial moved there in 2015. The institution left the building in 2023 Because their lease was running out, they needed a more suitable space for exhibitions. After a complete renovation, the editorial and audiovisual content creation branches of Abacus, which the cooperative groups under the nameAbacus Futur"We're taking another step forward in the history of Abacus, remaining faithful to the legacy of our founders but at the same time renewing ourselves to respond to the challenges posed by education and culture," said Abacus president Maravillas Rojo during the inauguration of the space. The building, which will house around 100 people, was named Casa Abacus and aims to be "a house full of culture in the heart of Raval."

Until now, the labels and magazines published by Abacus operated from different buildings. "Now we'll all be together. It's warm here," said editor Ester Pujol, who welcomes the change of location, especially for its centrality to the neighborhood. "Working from here is much more convenient for the authors and for literary events. We're in the heart of the city, five minutes from Plaça Catalunya," said Pujol. The event brought together the group's top writers, including Silvia Soler, Roc Casagran, Albert Om, and Laura Pinyol. Also attending the opening were the Mayor of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni; former Interior Minister Joan Ignasi Elena; and former PDECat president David Bonvehí. "Casa Abacus is the engine of cultural transformation that the heart of Ciutat Vella needs," Collboni emphasized.

A new Sant Jordi tradition

Coincidentally, many of the writers and editors at Casa Abacus already know the building because they had been there when it was the headquarters of Edicions 62. "Many authors are returning to it with a new and exciting project: to create a publishing house for editors and authors, designed for booksellers and readers," he emphasized. To thank the writers "for the marathon they will have to run tomorrow, in a stoic act they endure every year," in Folch's words, the company has given them a special pen with the phraseOresteia Aeschylus's saying "the future will come and you will be there", in a gesture that they want to turn into "a tradition" every Sant Jordi.

The first to receive it was illustrator Pilarín Bayés. "You're so handsome! It's a great honor for me to have such amazing editors," Bayés exclaimed after enthusiastically taking the stage. "I was already there when Abacus started. I remember with great excitement when they told us they were creating a cooperative, and we didn't even know what it was. A politician once said that if we Catalans were like Sant Jordi every day, we would be the world's leading power. Today, I have the feeling that we are," she expressed, reminiscing about an illustrator she drew.

The president of Abacus Futur, Jaume Roures, has predicted that the group will sell more than 600,000 books and 5,000 magazines this year and explained that they are working on a new series with filmmaker Fernando León de Aranoa. "Casa Abacus will be a space where culture, Catalan content, and ideas that move the world forward come together to create publishing and audiovisual projects that champion quality, creativity, and commitment. We are open to collaborating with anyone who believes in defending our culture, which has been trampled on for so long," Roures concluded.