"I want to tell him I love him": the curious phenomenon of the long queues at Sant Jordi

BarcelonaThe signings haven't even started yet, but there's already a huge line at FNAC. Marina Moreno arrived in Plaça Catalunya at 7:30 a.m. to be first in line for Inma Rubiales, who will start signing at 11:00 a.m. She's been sitting on the floor for more than three hours. Why is she waiting in line? "My dad's freaking out too. He says she's a real geek. I think it's really cool, that those of us who enjoy reading meet up. Living it is an experience, and having a book signed for you, being able to have contact with her is special and unique," she describes. Behind her is Noa Díaz and two friends, ages 15 and 16, who are romance novel readers. "You can meet the person who transports you to their world and you can say 'thank you for writing,'" she explains.

Two rows further on, Alice Kellen's fans have also arrived early. "She's my favorite author, and I knew she was famous," says 20-year-old Elisabeth Romero, who was in line before eight. "I've planned my monologue with what I want to say to her. The first time I saw her, I started crying," she recalls. Beside her, a friend she made in line nods. They consider the author "an inspiration"; she has even "helped them achieve things" in life. Romero has been We on the moon to sign, and he has it tight post-its colorful. Many people in line have their books marked, so it's probably a trend that comes from social media. The colors have a code: romantic moments, moments you identify with, sad moments, references.What are you waiting for?", asks a tourist on his way to La Boqueria.

Jordi Batuecas, a 59-year-old man with a serious demeanor, stands out in the line among so many young women. "It's for my 15-year-old daughter, who's in high school today," he admits. "She really likes romance novels. In The Year of the Rain, we were left on the verge of signing after three hours in line, and today I've asked for a day off and came with all the excitement in the world," he says. only An hour's workload. A little further back are two girls named Martina, aged 13 and 14, each with a parent, queuing as if they were at a concert at the Palau Sant Jordi. Some have come from Monzón, to Aragón, because it's a holiday there, but they like the Catalan holiday. The rest plan to spend the whole day queuing: after Alice Kellen, it's Alina Not's turn. Most don't buy the books; they've already read them from home.

Ten Years Queuing

On the other side of Plaça Catalunya, there's another kilometer-long queue for Elísabet Benavent. The first is Verònica Ridaura, who has come down from Blanes. She's been maintaining the ritual for ten years. The author already knows her. "I ask her to keep writing, not to stop," she says. She's familiar with the second in line, Iolanda Pardo from Manresa. "We're friends from writing," she says; they've been following Benavent for years. "It's a way of thanking her for her work. We want to come and support her," says Pardo, who shares her love of romance novels with her 15-year-old daughter, who has come to hunt another author: "We are fans", he says. They have made a schedule to cover everything and have set priorities.

The romantic one has the longest queues, but from midday onwards they are generalized. For Xavier Sala i Martín, Silvia Compañó says that she queues because she has "the time and the opportunity": "No. three women from the Pinto family get in line each with a book by Carmen Mola that they want signed, respectively, for a son (and clean and nephew) who had class at the institute. Javier Cercas' book also causes queues with spontaneous readers: sisters Marina (26) and Irene Valera (20) got hooked together on the thriller and the detective novel, and they're following Javier Castillo for the second year. They'll wait in line for two hours. "We'll tell him we're looking forward to him releasing another book," they say. The line snakes along Passeig de Gràcia and they hand out copies up to a limit, which doesn't guarantee the author will have time to stay. "I want to tell him I love him very much," says Alícia Gálvez, 20. "To him and to the whole family, because I follow his wife, who is influencer Verónica Díaz, and together they're the Coquetas Family. "We can talk about both!" she claims. She's got the second-to-last book to sign and, although she didn't get a ticket with a number for the queue, she's waiting; she estimates it will take two hours. "And because it's so hot, I wouldn't have stayed for five otherwise!"