Which is the politician who sells most books? The top 10 of Catalonia

BarcelonaSant Jordi's Day. As is tradition, the streets of Catalonia become an anthill of books, roses, and flags. And, in the midst of the great celebration of reading, a genre that tries to make space for itself is politics: leaders often change the lectern for the pen to fix their narrative or explain their "truth". Below, we analyze the list of titles that have been most purchased in recent years (since 2018), based on data provided by the publishing sector consulted by ARA, with a predominance of titles linked to the Independence Process.

Let me explain: From the investiture to exile, by Carles Puigdemont and Xevi Xirgu (La Campana, 2020): A personal diary about the events of October 2017 and his journey to Belgium.The fight in exile, by Carles Puigdemont and Xevi Xirgu (La Campana, 2020): A chronicle of the international political strategy maintained from Waterloo.Tales from prison, by Oriol Junqueras (Ara Llibres, 2019): A collection of stories and letters that the ERC leader wrote for his children during his imprisonment.The serious hours, by Quim Torra (Símbol Editors, 2021): The day-to-day management of the Covid-19 pandemic from the presidency.We will win again (and how we will do it), by Oriol Junqueras and Marta Rovira (Ara Llibres, 2020): A strategic proposal for the future of Catalan independence.The Catalan crisis: an opportunity for Europe, by Carles Puigdemont (La Campana, 2018): Essay aimed at explaining the Catalan conflict to the international public.Of heroes and traitors, by Santi Vila (Editorial Pòrtic, 2018): Critical and moderate reflection on the most turbulent moments of Puigdemont's government.1 day of October and 2 poems, by Josep Rull (Símbol Editors, 2019): A chronicle about the events of the referendum and his path towards imprisonment.34 days of autumn and 1 of spring, by Meritxell Borràs (Símbol Editors, 2018): The personal diary of her days in Alcalá Meco prison.Talking with you about love and freedom, by Oriol Junqueras (Ara Llibres, 2020): Collection of human and political thoughts born behind bars.The publishing houses do not make all sales figures public, but ARA has been able to consult that titles such as Contes des de la presó by Junqueras reach 19,500 copies sold or Les hores greus by Quim Torra, 15,000 since they were first published. The joint book between Junqueras and Rovira reaches 7,000 copies; that of the current president of the Parliament, Josep Rull, 6,000, and that of former minister Meritxell Borràs, 4,500.

Their sales have not been enough to be in the top 10 in Catalonia, but there are quite a few books written by politicians in recent years. The latest is by the leader of the PP in Catalonia, Alejandro Fernández, A Calzón quitao (La esfera de los libros, 2025). The Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, has his Manual de Resistencia (Ediciones Península, 2019); the former president of the Parliament Laura Borràs published Filla de l'1 d'octubre (Enciclopedia Catalana SLU, 2021). The former leader of Ciutadans, Albert Rivera, also tried his luck in literature with Un ciudadano libre (Espasa, 2020) and his former party colleague Toni Cantó opted for a suggestive title like De joven fui de izquierdas pero luego maduré (B, 2022). Although not strictly a political leader, the emeritus king, Juan Carlos I, has just been awarded by the French Assembly for his memoirs, theoretically written in a four-handed collaboration with the writer Laurence Debray and in which he presents himself as a victim: Reconciliación (Editorial Planeta, 2025).