It is difficult to understand that journalism and the media are so prone to optimism. Following Sant Jordi's day, it was proclaimed to the four winds - the media perhaps imbued with a patriotism that does not admit dialectics or criticism - that more books had been sold than ever (two million), that our country was the most cultured of the world, which had been shown that young people read a lot and even more excellences.

Does the Sant Jordi best-seller list make any sense? Is it just a commercial promotion? Criticizing it has become as established a tradition as the fact that it's advertised every year. Highlighting what stands out the most, the top of the pyramid of an unattainable reality, occurs in many areas of life. We don't dedicate ourselves to explaining everyone who plays sports every day; we focus primarily on elite footballers, and within this already small group, we still only talk about a few: right now the best-selling item is Lamine Yamal, right? A non-football fan, how many more Barça players do they know?

We often complain that people are just numbers, but ultimately everything, absolutely everything, ends up being quantified. The saying "what's important is quality, not quantity" becomes as empty a phrase as "what's important is participation." This week has been especially significant in terms of numbers, starting with Easter, which is also measured by the sale of monas (monks) and their price, and the increase in flights, 11% compared to last year at El Prat, if that were necessary. And also, if that were necessary, more visitors to Catalonia, in this case 10%. The same numbers that satisfy some, so the economy must move forward, worry others, so if the decline doesn't start now, we'll all go to hell, also massively. But then you never know who's going to pass. accounts.

Sant Jordi is such a sure thing that the only thing left to worry about is the weather. Because, with the slightest bit of help, millions of people go out to celebrate it. two million books sold and crowds everywhere. In Barcelona, ​​​​which serves as the home and publishing house and where they sign best-selling writers, you couldn't take a step. The city center, with traffic and construction, collapsedWe should start working on it next year to avoid dying of success and rethink the way people come and go.

On April 23rd of last year, presenter Sandra Golpe opened the Antena 3 news with a resounding phrase: "How are you? Good afternoon. Today is April 23rd.". A year later, talking about Sant Jordi's Day and saying the word "Catalunya" are still difficult for them. Manu Sánchez opened the morning news by providing context for the date: "Today is the day of the faithful". He was referring to the devotees of Pope Francis who could begin filing through the funeral chapel installed in Rome. The program was practically a monograph on the death of the pontiff and the follow-up to the funeral. At no point did he mention Saint George, even though the Holy Father's secular name was George.

In the face of all the crises and bad omens that besiege us, we have an invincible Sant Jordi, a popular resistance based on roses and books. Perhaps a mirage of normality, but what a marvel. Perhaps a commercialized and overcrowded day, but what a marvel. Perhaps an exception on a day that confirms the rule of too little reading and too little civic-mindedness the rest of the year, but what a marvel. The success of this day is noticeable because everyone embraces it: beyond those directly involved and interested (booksellers, publishers, writers, and florists), schools and associations of all kinds, administrations and political parties of all stripes, bakers and the most varied businesses, companies, and immigrant media outlets all join in. It has an unbeatable capacity for integration and involvement. It inspires a desire to go out and enjoy, to stroll, to do the curious, to choose and stir, to be surprised. Despite the lines and crowds, people leave their bad moods at home. Kindness and joy are almost mandatory for a day. A sugary miracle, and yet so welcome.

Sant Jordi's Day is like the Amazon rainforest. In "stifling times" like these, a festival dedicated to reading invites everyone "to breathe together," this year's town crier recalled early this morning at the Virreina Palace. Mexican writer Cristina Rivera Garza. The stallholders were already starting to sell some of the two million copies they have been selling until nightfall throughout Catalonia: in the absence of definitive data, the estimate made by the Book Chamber at nightfall again points to a new record, which would be around 26 million euros (0.6 more than last year). Rose sellers have also made a killing—in cash, using the dataphone, and using Bizum—because Sant Jordi also invites the traditional gesture of floral love. And with a renewed component of protest culminating in the demonstration for language.

Sant Jordi Day has once again been a massive and record-breaking event. Publishers and booksellers were forecasting good figures, given the sales of the previous days, and the sun has done the rest: a record of more than 26 million copies invoiced and 2 million copies sold has been broken. "It is estimated that the overall sales figure will be the best in history, continuing the growth trend of recent years," states the Catalan Book Chamber. Just after 8 p.m., they published the ranking of the best-selling books, trends that will be definitively confirmed next week, including final data from bookstores and sales at street stalls [today's rankings are based on estimates from the member bookstores of the Gremi de Llibreters (Booksellers' Guild) at 2 p.m. and from the days leading up to Sant Jordi, compiled by LibriRed]. These titles represent only about 5% of total titles sold, the Chamber notes.

Does a life with the sole objective of living well make sense? Is hedonism enough? Can things last without a profound purpose?

An English tourist watches in surprise as thousands of people shout, "Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, school will be in Catalan." He dares to ask a demonstrator: "Why are you protesting?" "For the language," the demonstrator replies in English. The tourist is even more surprised and asks again: "But isn't Sant Jordi about love?" "About love, and the love of Catalan," the demonstrator declares.

What do we do with the dragon? Pedro Sánchez wants to kill it, and he's increased the defense budget. Which dragon are we talking about? Specifically, the head, because "Spain is pacifist" and it's just a matter of scaring off the dragons who dare attack it. Where will the money come from? We'll find it, but social spending won't suffer, he says. The people don't believe it, of course, because the multiplication of the loaves and fishes was a miracle, not a legend.

In his (extraordinary) chronicle yesterday, Joan Burdeus said that President Illa, in his closed-door conversation with writer Javier Cercas, revived "the neo-Pujolometer" by claiming books as "a form of personal improvement rather than enjoyment."

It's unusual for a party's leadership to not allow the president of a region to present a book at its stand. And even less so in Catalonia on Sant Jordi Day. But it's also unusual for him to publish a book to attack the state leadership for appointing and removing regional leaders by fingerThe fact is that Alejandro Fernández has finally been able to sign his book, In underwear off (La Esfera de los Libros, 2025), at the PP parade and not just at the student platform's "It's Over," as planned just two days before Sant Jordi.

The 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.

For ten years, journalist and professor Mar Camps (Palamós, 1991) said she would never return to the village. "Celrà was a place that had been given to me; I hadn't built anything," she reflects. "I didn't imagine Celrà as my place." Unable to find a place to settle, she fled to Calabria, at the tip of Italy, "a land of passage, of people who emigrate, of people who arrive by boat, of people who don't quite fit in anywhere." That experience, written slowly over almost five years in the form of a diary, has become her first novel: Without hands on the deep path. An autobiographical novel where the protagonist, Julia, is also approaching thirty and "envies people who don't doubt, who are clear about where they want to go, who have found their place."

Reading and loving. Sant Jordi could be summed up in these two beautiful words. A holiday celebrated with literature and love, in April, just as the trees begin to bud and the days become decidedly longer, is unbeatable. Sant Jordi is a collective explosion but also personal, a day that has a score that everyone can interpret by introducing their own variations.

A year ago, Salvador Illa, who aspired to govern the Generalitat of Catalonia, arrived at the PSC's little house on Rambla Catalunya, ready to shake hands and take photos andat the start of the Catalan election campaign. He landed after attending an event, the Sant Jordi Mass, which until then had been celebrated in the most discreet manner at the Palau de la Generalitat. President Illa began his first day as head of the Catalan government just as the island candidate did: by attending this Mass, which this year the Catalan government has made official (and where he coincided with former President Jordi Pujol). Afterwards, it was time for the traditional institutional address from the Pati dels Tarongers: "There is no more revolutionary gesture against hatred than giving a rose," Illa stated. In his speech, the Socialist leader hit all the right notes: he urged people to confront the far right, but also defended the Catalan language in Europe and remembered the victims of the DANA and the war in Ukraine. He also remembered Pope Francis, whose "moral leadership" he praised.

In a Paloma room endowed with romantic character thanks to a light purple mist. The Night of the Roses Promoted by Mishima, this event has reached its third edition, confirming the evening as one of the new Sant Jordi traditions in Barcelona. The music and poetry festival attracted couples, groups of friends, and especially fans of David Carabén's band. The singer acknowledged at the start of the evening that he could spot familiar faces in the audience. "I recognize many of you, and I know you've seen us a bit too often. It's nice that you're coming today, since Barça is also playing," said Carabén, unable to avoid mentioning the club he loves, which was playing against Mallorca that evening.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Gothic Quarter, amidst shops and tourists, at number 6 Carrer Canuda lies one of the city's most emblematic cultural treasures: the Ateneu Barcelonès, a haven where culture is the order of the day. The Ateneu is an association that has accompanied Catalan society for over 150 years with the aim of being a central space for critical thinking, intellectual activity, and community life. Since 1872, this independent cultural institution has actively contributed to the development of Catalan culture, remaining faithful to its founding purpose: to be a hub for creation, training, and open and constructive debate. Throughout its history, it has been chaired by illustrious names such as Àngel Guimerà, Joan Maragall, and Pompeu Fabra.