A man dressed as a Roman enters the auditorium of the Barcelona headquarters of Penguin Random House. His smile never fades from his face. Neither to him, nor to the rest of the people who are present, who see his disguise as a sympathetic gesture. In his right hand he carries a book by Santiago Posteguillo and, in the other, a pen so that the author can leave his mark at some point. He will have the opportunity to ask you. That same afternoon, the Valencian writer will meet his readers to present Maldita Roma (Ediciones B), the second installment of his Caesarian saga.
The scene described was one of many that occurred last Tuesday in Travessera de Gràcia. As if it were a rock concert, hundreds of people came to hear Posteguillo talk about Julius Caesar, “great among the greats,” and compare some of his exploits with works of English literature, because Posteguillo teaches classes for something. of this subject at the university.
“We will see the character from the age of 23, from the disaster of exile, until the age of 42, when he becomes consul of Rome. We will also witness the birth of Cleopatra, with whom he is many years old,” the writer advanced. The highlight was Raúl Llorens, narrator of the audiobook, who read several passages from the novel aloud. “She gave me goosebumps,” a mother acknowledged to her daughter while she recorded the moment with her mobile phone.
The Altair bookstore was just as full the next day, full of curious people who wanted to hear the journalist and writer Èric Lluent speak with the presenter Albert Om about his book Islàndia, l'illa del vent (Ara Llibres). The proof that there was no room for a pin was given by the stairs of the venue, filled to the top with readers. Luckily, even if they saw them in the distance, they were able to hear the protagonists thanks to the speakers, which the bookstore staff activated so that everyone could follow the talk.
"Thank you very much everyone for coming. Especially to those of you who are there in the background,” greeted the writer, who took advantage of the afternoon to talk about the Nordic island country and demystify some beliefs, such as healthcare, which has suffered many cuts in recent years; tourism, which has skyrocketed rental prices; or climate change, “because it is a very polluting country, far from what people think, who have projected an idea of an ideal and sensitive country. The reality is that, like so many others, it does not comply with the Paris agreement.”
Iceland matters a lot, and Wednesday's match was the best proof. And not only because the Fagradalsfjall volcano has been erupting for a few weeks, but because of their lifestyle and work system. “I received an email from the company telling me that they had made a mistake in a payment and that they were paying me the money. If they hadn't told me anything, I wouldn't have even noticed. This would not happen in Spain. I would love to return, and I see myself here in the long run, in my city, but I have to find a way, because I am not going to want less than what I have now.”
The week began with a more intimate meeting at the Byron bookstore, although that did not make it any less interesting or media-worthy. Mª Asunción Mateo, widow of the writer and poet Rafael Alberti, presented her memoirs, accompanied by the poet and literary critic Pere Gimferrer, who proved to have many anecdotes with the member of the generation of '27. Some of them were told during the first part of the presentation, while Mateo nodded and smiled.
Then, Alberti's wife thanked those present for attending, especially the journalist Anna Caballé, "for positioning yourself at my side, something that denotes great courage." And she confessed, “I have been oppressed for more than 20 years and I realize that writing this book has been like going to one or several psychologists. Every once in a while, I pick up the volume and hug it.”
In the book My life with Alberti. You came for something, Altair (Berenice), Mateo denounces the harassment suffered after the death of her husband “for more than twenty years.” “I ended up getting over it. She remembered how my husband ran away from pseudo-intellectuals. When he talked to them, he fell asleep. He preferred to talk to a bricklayer or any other stranger than to them. And I have done the same in my own way,” he concludes.
