"What a shame to be poor": Palma lives a Sant Jordi full of books, roses and good weather

Palm"What a shame to be poor", one reader of romantasy tells another as she considers a hardcover edition with a colored spine of Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros's bestselling saga. After a brief debate with her friend and several knowing glances, the book ended up in the bookseller's hands and the credit card did the rest. Transaction completed, happy reader. The scene took place in the space that one of the main bookstores has set up for Sant Jordi in Plaça d'Espanya in Palma. Like this one, hundreds, perhaps thousands, have been repeated this Book Day.

The city was full first thing in the morning, and also first thing in the afternoon: bookstalls, roses (between 2.5 and 4 euros), local readers and tourist readers. At another stall, a lady with sunglasses, short grey hair, and the man hanging from her arm as if he were an accessory, commented to a bookseller with a well-placed smile: "You have the virtue of being young, I the luxury of being old and having time." She was talking about a book she couldn't find, but which she would buy again. Or perhaps she was talking about life.

A few meters further, already on Sant Miquel street, a mother and her son were looking at the list of signatory authors. She asked him in Catalan: "Do you know any?". The boy replied in Spanish: "I'm looking". In the end, they opted for a copy of Los futbolísimos, the youth saga that mixes football and mystery.

The provisional assessment was unanimous among street booksellers and the Mallorca Booksellers Guild: "It has been spectacular." A professional, covering his colleagues' lunch break, illustrated it with enthusiasm: "We've been here for an hour and you see these Mafalda Integrals? Well, when I arrived there was a pile like this," he said, drawing a mountain of books in the air. "In an hour!" he repeated, still incredulous.

At Embat, books about the disappeared Balearic Islands were a success – with the volume dedicated to Inca, written by Carme Colom, as a new release – and also the new Mendoza, La intriga del funeral inconveniente. At another stand decorated with tote bags, Mafalda re-emerged as an intergenerational classic. A mother pointed out the volume Mafalda, presidenta to her teenage daughter with shining eyes. But the miracle didn't happen: "I've never liked it," replied the girl. In a matter of seconds, the illusion turned into indignation. "Well, she's wonderful," retorted the mother, dryly, before dragging her to continue the tour.

At the giant L-shaped stand installed by Gotham Cómics in the Plaza Mayor, local authors were a hit: Jaume Font Rosselló with Tutor por sorpresa – La saga de 1999 and Les cròniques de Nyurnyur, by Pau Arévalo, Xavier Tàrrega, and Pau Castanyer.

The president of the Guild of Booksellers of Mallorca, Miquel Ferrer, celebrated the good weather and highlighted that the morning had been "spectacular", with "a lot of people" walking and shopping. Schools also contributed, filling the streets and participating in the festive atmosphere with parades of the giants Tom and Rosa and the dulzainers.

In statements to Europa Press past midday, Ferrer recalled that Sant Jordi is "a milestone that is consolidated year after year" and that it can represent between 5% and 10% of the annual sales of bookstores. He also positively valued the preview held on Saturday in various squares of Palma: "We were left with a good taste in our mouths and the idea is to repeat and expand the activities next year".

Inca celebrates Sant Jordi with child protagonism

In Inca, the Book Fair is celebrated from April 15th with various presentations of new editorial releases, bar theater, and screenings. However, this Thursday, April 23rd, the nerve center was the Covered Market square where, from 9 am, the book and flower market could be visited.

The event coincided with the big day in the city, market Thursday, and further filled the streets of Inca's center with streams of children heading to celebrate Sant Jordi.

The morning was entirely for the children. Inca's schools came to the square to do the now traditional street reading accompanied by the animation of the clown Sabatot and to immerse themselves among the new releases from the bookstores.

The afternoon, although more focused on book signings with authors Carme Colom, Katia Guzmán, Antoni Rodríguez, Antoni Fer, Joana Màrquez and Sixto Ruiz, also saw the delivery of prizes from school literary competitions.

'Sant Jordi per la pau'

And it is that in every activity that is organized in Inca we can see that the youngest population of the city has been taken into account. Thus, the day in the Covered Market square ended with the children's play 'Sant Jordi per la pau'.

Finally, one more year, coinciding with the Book Festival, the Inca City Council has presented the volume of the XXVI Local Studies Conference in the Cloister of Santo Domingo.