Overview
- Author Eduardo Mendoza urged separating the national Book Day from Catalonia’s Sant Jordi and quipped that the saint was an animal abuser who likely could not read, prompting a wave of online attacks and a youth wing’s call to strip him of the Creu de Sant Jordi before he clarified it was a joke.
- Barcelona officials confirmed a citywide layout for April 23 with 355 book stalls spread over 3,600 meters across seven districts, countering viral claims of cutbacks by noting there are more stalls than ever.
- Industry data cited by Nielsen IQ Book Data show Spain’s book market kept growing, up 9.8% in 2024 and 3.8% in 2025, with turnover about 39% higher than in 2019 and fiction leading sales ahead of children’s, non-fiction, and comics.
- The Sant Jordi push now extends beyond bookstores as about twenty Paseo de Gràcia shops plan to dress their windows with books in an effort led by PlanetadeLibros and Grup62 to pull in new readers and shoppers.
- TV host Pablo Motos corrected a viral error after stating books carried 21% VAT, apologizing on air when viewers pointed out the actual 4% rate, a reminder that rapid claims about the festival and the market often need swift fact checks.