"Those of us who write for the love of literature do not compete. We are readers above all else and we admire other authors. We do not want to be anyone's bet. We are not racehorses," denounces the writer and journalist Llucia Ramis on networks. her, there are several authors and booksellers who have shown their disagreement regarding the list of best-selling books for Sant Jordi, provided that day by the Chamber of Books, a ranking that raised controversy after it underwent changes the day before yesterday, according to data from the consultancy GfK and LibriRed lead the fiction in Catalan with Xavier Bosch's novel 32 de març (Univers / Catedral), while the Sant Jordi prize for Gemma Ruiz Palà, Les nostres mares (Proa), fell one position.
Éric del Arco, president of the Gremi de Llibreters and bookseller at Documenta, reminds La Vanguardia that “these titles are not usually representative of what is often sold in the premises. In our case, that day we sold 3,189 copies and the most successful only represented 7% of the total”.
Although he explains that the most requested were novels that appear on the official list, My days at the Morisaki bookstore (Silver/Navona) stands out, Satoshi Yagisawa's debut feature that reached its third edition in less than two months and raises a small and low-key Tokyo bookstore to a place of healing. A book that was also one of the best sellers on April 23 at the Laie de Pau Claris bookstore. Lluís Morral, the establishment's literary director, points out "the growing interest aroused by current Japanese narrative", and explains that, along with Yagisawa's, another of the most popular books is Intimacies (Sixth Floor), by the Japanese-American Katie Kitamura, a reading that encourages the reader to reflect to what extent you get to know those around you.
From the Central de Mallorca, in Barcelona, Neus Botellé remembers some of the readings that he most recommended that Sunday and that "coincided with our own list, because in the end customers trust their trusted bookseller." Beyond Ruiz Palà and Maggie O'Farrell, "the authors who captured the most attention", the public was interested in Elizabeth Finch (Anagrama/ Angle Editorial), since "our readers have been very followers of Julian Barnes for years" .
From the same publishing house — Periscopi publishes it in Catalan — Fortuna, by Hernán Díaz, stands out, the mysterious story of a tycoon from the twenties that “likes both the most avid reader, and those who are less used to having a book in their hands ”. He also mentions The history of vertebrates (Random House / La Magrana), a book in which Mar García Puig delves into postpartum depression, motherhood and mental health. “It has been shown that a list with the books that have sold the most in a single day is not representative of anything,” she remarks.
Fernando Pelayo, from Bernat, is clear that all the successes of that day were taken by Megan Maxwell and her Look at me and kiss me (Planet), since the writer "was signing for three hours in our tent and that conditions a lot"; and No todo el mundo (Sexto Piso), by Marta Jiménez, “one of those books that fits with that age group that is often so difficult to recommend and that ranges from 20 to 40 years of age”. The bookseller also highlights Aterratge (Club Editor / Tránsito), the novel with which Eva Piquer "focuses on a grieving woman who remembers experiences until then buried" and Collado, by Carles Armengol, who "has just arrived at her fifth edition” after the busy Sant Jordi.
Iolanda Batalle, director of Ona Llibres de Pau Claris, acknowledges that "I don't believe in the lists or in the previous advances that can condition" and talks about a different proposal from the previous ones that has been the bookstore's winning bets: Mitologia dels Catalan countries (Efados), by Daniel Rangil with illustrations by Laia Baldevey. "This book is a miracle because it was the best seller last Christmas and this Sant Jordi is back at the top. I also like to defend it because they always talk about the mythologies of different places but never about what we have close to home ". On the other hand, Torturades (Comanegra), by Gemma Pasqual, was also sold a lot, which "is more than a book. It is a claim."
Raquel Fontecha, from La irreducible, highlights the particularity of Lleida, since "usually clients, at least ours, opt for local authors, such as Emili Bayo and his Després de la tempesta (La Magrana) or Pep Coll, who returns for everything high with La larga migdiada de Déu (Proa). In Spanish, on the other hand, Edurne Portela took center stage with Maddi y las fronteras (Galaxia Gutenberg).
Something similar occurs in Girona, since one of the best-selling books was that of the journalist Tura Soler, Sense càstig: Deu crims impunas (The bell). "Since she became one of the regular faces of Carles Porta's crime show, her books have sold themselves," admits Lourdes Cidera, from the Empúries bookstore.
“Each bookstore has its particularity and the titles will never be the same. And this is something fantastic”, claims Elisabeth Sánchez from the Tarragona bookstore El Soterrani, who has no doubt that her usual recommendations will be joined by names such as Eduard Márquez, Cristina García Molina, Damon Galgut and Elin Cullhed, authors nominated for the Llibreter prize.
