Salvador Illa will speak with Javier Cercas to celebrate Sant Jordi.

BarcelonaThe Generalitat (Catalan government) announces a new activity for the eve of Sant Jordi at the Palau de la Generalitat. The City Council has institutionalized the Sant Jordi proclamation on the afternoon of the 22nd (This year with Mexican Cristina Rivera Garza) and the Sant Jordi dialogues in the city libraries a few weeks before, the Generalitat will organize on April 22 at the Saló de Sant Jordi The voices of Sant Jordi, a day with four conversations between figures from the world of thought and literature in podcast format. The central conversation will be between President Salvador Illa and Javier Cercas, who will talk about traditions, culture, and Sant Jordi, moderated by Agnès Marquès (12:15 p.m.). The others are between Eloy Fernández Porta and Marina Garcés (10:30 a.m.), Maite Carranza and Jordi Puntí (4:00 p.m.), and Alicia Kopf and Monika Zgustová (5:30 p.m.).

The other major novelty is that the Generalitat (Catalan government) is "backing" to celebrate Sant Jordi in Madrid and extending it to the entire week, from April 22 to 26, with a series of activities curated by Llucia Ramis, which also includes the participation of Salvador Illa and the placement of a banner on Gran Via. Sixteen events will be held for adults, children, and young people at the Blanquerna bookstore, on the street, in the gardens of the delegation, and at the Círculo de Bellas Artes. According to the Government delegate in Madrid, Núria Marín, the Government has wanted to give a "special character" to the Sant Jordi activities in Madrid: "We want this Sant Jordi to contribute powerfully to the bond between Catalonia and Madrid."

Among the events are the reading of Don Quixote; the presentation ofA furtive heart, Xavier Pla's biography of Josep Pla; concerts by Maria Rodés and La Sentina; the show Plan by Roig, and several round tables (one on creation with authors such as Carme Riera, Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, Laura Ferrero, David Trueba and Álvaro Colomer; and one on nighttime with Jacobo Bergareche, Fernando Navarro, Gabriela Wiener and Luna Miguel; and one on Maria Sánchez's own room, Andrea, with Andrea Gumes). Lucía Ramis says that the objective is to reproduce in Madrid the essence of Sant Jordi de Catalunya's day and to project the synergies between the Catalan and Spanish capitals.

Salvador Illa will close the institutional event, which will take place at the Blanquerna bookstore, with the presentation of the translation ofAn optimistic story, the expanded memoirs of Jordi Solé Tura.

More activities

• Open doors at the Palau de la Generalitat on April 23.
• Carillon concert at the Palace of the Generalitat at 12 and 6 p.m.
• Letters in the Parliament: on April 25 (10 am) in the presidential office poems will be read byThe still heart, by Josep Carner.
• Open doors at the public museums of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) on the 23rd: the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia, the History Museum of Catalonia, the National Museum of Science and Technology, and the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.
• Open doors at the National Library of Catalonia.
• Festival in the libraries.