Barcelona’s 43rd Setmana del Llibre en Català begins this Friday on the Passeig de Lluís Companys, promising a larger and livelier edition that runs until 28 September. Organisers are billing it as both a literary festival and a meeting point for Catalan letters.
The official opening takes place on Saturday at midday, featuring speeches from Editors.cat president Ilya Pérdigo and Pere Lluís Font, recipient of this year’s Premi d’Honor de les Lletres Catalanes. This edition boasts 94 stalls, up from 86 last year, and 312 exhibitors, including 265 publishing houses. The fair now covers 8,900 square metres, nearly 1,000 more than the previous edition.
Last year’s move to the Passeig de Lluís Companys drew around 100,000 visitors, a success Pérdigo said demonstrates Catalan literature’s vitality. He described the event as a showcase of literary plurality, designed to kick off September’s cultural calendar with energy.
Director Cristina Domènech underlined that this year’s Setmana has a €600,000 budget and will feature 300 activities ranging from author signings and guided literary walks to debates and presentations. A new ‘Espai de Converses’ will allow two or three writers to discuss themes from their works, alongside the existing two stages. There will also be a dedicated reading space.
The week will highlight both new releases and classic backlist titles. Special awards will honour crime writer Andreu Martín for his career and journalist David Guzman for his work in literary promotion. An exhibition entitled ‘L’any que va. Obvietat i ironia de la literatura catalana’, inspired by Francesc Trabal’s 1925 text, will also be on display.
Among the authors scheduled to appear are Maite Carranza, Care Santos, Sergi Pàmies, Toni Sala, Maria Barbal and Marta Orriols.
The Setmana del Llibre en Català continues to serve as a vital platform for Catalan publishers, authors and readers, marking the city’s September with a strong cultural identity.
👉 Join our WhatsApp broadcast channel to get all of the latest news delivered to you
