Over 300 exhibitors and 270 activities at the 42nd edition of La Setmana del Llibre en Català

86 bookshops and publishers’ stands with 298 exhibitors and other spaces where around 270 activities will be held, many of them in one of the 3 stages. 6,500 m2 dedicated to books in Catalan. These are just some of the figures for the 42nd edition of the 42nd edition of La Setmana del Llibre en Català, an edition in which, without a doubt, the big novelties are the change of dates and location. Exceptionally, and due to the celebration of the America’s Cup, La Setmana will move from the Moll de la Fusta to Passeig de Lluís Companys, and will be a few days longer than usual: it will take place from 20 to 29 September. It will therefore coincide, on some days, with La Mercè, Barcelona’s main festival.

There will be events and activities for all audiences, with book presentations, poetry recitals, concerts, debates, talks with national and international authors, book signings and literary tours. On Saturday 21, La Setmana will open its doors until 10.30 p.m. and the concert ‘La Mercè a La Setmana’ will take place, with the group L’Arannà and literature as the protagonist, a show that has the support of the Department of Festivals of the Barcelona City Council and the magazine Enderrock. In coordination with La Mercè, two dance performances inspired by two Catalan authors, Josep Ma. Espinàs and Carme Riera, will also be held in Plaça del Nord, which will be the MAC universe of street arts.

A long list of authors

Three international authors will visit La Setmana in collaboration with the CCCB: the Irish true crime writer Mark O’Connell, the Scottish author Kirsty Logan, and the ornithologist and writer Stanislaw Lubienski. The journalist Anna Guitart, through DO Catalunya, will conduct in-depth interviews with different authors, including Mireia Calafell, Toni Sala and Adrià Pujol. Eva Baltasar, Antònia Carré, Miquel Bonet, Xavi Coral and Abrahan Orriols will also be present at La Setmana to talk about their latest books.

Those attending the event will find around 130 new publications for this fall. Those of Laia Aguilar, Tuli Márquez, Mercè Ibarz, Elisenda Solsona, David Moragas, Laura Piñol and Sergi Belbel will be just some of them.

Trajectòria Award and Difusió Award

At the press conference to present this year’s programme, the organisers of La Setmana also announced the winners of the Trajectòria and Difusió awards. The 28th Trajectòria Award, which has been awarded annually since 1997 to a professional linked to the world of Catalan culture who has excelled in disseminating it, has been awarded this year to Pilarín Bayés (Vic, 1941), one of our country’s great illustrators. The 4th Difusió Award, which is awarded by the board of Editors.cat and which recognises a public figure who has made a notable contribution to the dissemination, encouragement, promotion and projection of publishing and literature in Catalan in his professional sphere, is awarded to the journalist Marc Giró (Barcelona, 1974) for his work in disseminating books in Catalan through his radio programme Vostè primer (RAC1).

You will find all the information about the 42nd edition of La Setmana del Llibre en Català on its website.