Nine ten in the morning. At El Corte Inglés on Diagonal, about 30 people impatiently await the signing of their favorite author, Meghan Maxwell, who signs at 11. Laia Delgado and Cristina Mendoza have come from Manresa, worried they might be a bit short on time: “She’s one of the writers who made me start reading,” says Delgado. “I’ve brought a book that’s very special to me, and I’m excited for her to sign it,” adds Mendoza. In the same queue, Francisco López accompanies his daughter Laura. They arrived even earlier and are second in line: “Every year we’ve done double and triple signings,” says the father. “Meghan manages to captivate young people,” states Laura Lopez. There are even those who “escape from work” to get that precious signature: “I started reading her years ago and I love her. You never get tired of her books,” comments Nerea Rangel. “Having it signed, for me, already has incredible sentimental value.”
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However, the record for early arrival goes to Elsa Morales. She arrived at eight at Plaza Universitat and was the first to speak with Blue Jeans, author of trilogies like El Club de los Incomprendidos: “I go to all his signings.” She is accompanied by Paula Silgado, who has number six in the queue: “I finished the book in a week. I love how he narrates, because he writes everything so beautifully.” Both comment that the fact that he is a boy and “writes super well” is one of the things they like most about the author. “I always recommend Algo tan sencillo and everyone loves it,” says Morales.
As every year, Joana Marcús has moved masses, this time, to the FNAC in Glòries. “It’s an opportunity to meet her if she has been your refuge or salvation,” says Abril Debar in the queue. “We read to escape the world, and the person who wrote those books has helped us so much that we want to meet her,” adds Paula Palomino. Both are loyal readers of Marcús and have all her books signed. For her signing, it was necessary to get tickets, and the queue reached the end of the building. “What I’ve found with Joana is that her stories hook me from the first page. I’ve read a 600-page book in a month. For me, that’s very fast,” explains Andrea Martinez, very close to getting that precious signature.
Several people approach a La Casa del Libro tent, curious to know what the queue that forms several S’s is about. The answer: Alice Kellen. “She writes traumatic things so well that you feel identified,” says Ivet Fernández, with her friend Marina Mer. Both highlight this quality of Kellen’s narrative, which has “enamored” them and always leaves them “wanting to read more from her.” For them, this signing allows them to “meet her in person” and is also “a way to support her.” Laura González, Noelia Molina, and Paula Fernández are only two people away from Kellen signing their books. They are among the brave ones who arrived an hour and a half early not to risk it: “She is my favorite writer and she gives me a lot,” comments Molina. The three agree that “her writing style” is what hooks them: “You empathize a lot with the characters she creates,” says Laura González.
Also making it onto this list of authors who manage to move young people are Imma Morales, Alina Not, and David Uclés, who has accumulated one of the most crowded signings: “I arrived half an hour ago and was amazed by the number of people,” comments Lucas Serrano. For him, it’s his first Sant Jordi, and he didn’t hesitate to try to get Uclés’s signature. Maria Gallego comments that she was “very surprised” by the number of people. “I thought there would be fewer.” For Gallego, getting a signature is “an opportunity to talk to him,” but also to tell him that “he has written very well and has a large audience.” “In the end, when you write a book, people buy it, but you don’t know if they are also reading it or not.”
All of them agree on one thing. That signed book becomes their “treasure”: “No way I’m letting go of it!” affirmed Silgado; “It’s a treasure. I won’t let go of it. I’ll keep it on the shelf for myself,” explains Gallego. “In my room, I have a special corner for all of them. They are a treasure,” comments Abril Debar.
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