Successful presence of UB Editions in the Catalan Book Week

The 41^st edition of Catalan Book Week closed with 60,000 visitors — 15% more than last year — and a 20% increase in sales, which in the case of UB Editions was 50%, divided between new releases and backlist books. The Editions stand of the University of Barcelona was filled with readers and visitors who, in addition to experiencing the presentations on stage and attending the Vives Network awards ceremony, were also able to interact with the authors and directors of the collection, who spoke about the new publications in a relaxed and friendly format.

Anna M. Villalonga and Joan Santanach presented És aquí que fan comèdia? El teatre breu català a les darreries de l’edat moderna, published as part of the collection Filologia UB - Biblioteca Càmar, and Cèsar Blanché i Vergés spoke about the Guia botànica del jardí Ferran Soldevila de la Universitat de Barcelona. The directors of the magazine Compàs d’amalgama, Teresa-M. Sala and Francesco Ardolino, accompanied by Estanislau Roca, have gone through the summary of the last issue published. We have also been accompanied by Teresa-M. Sala -again- and Montserrat Comas i Güell, author of Elles, les dones, també hi eren. Corresponsals femenines de Víctor Balaguer (1848-1896) (Singularitats collection), and M. Carme Barceló i Martí explained Les plantes en l’obra de Jacint Verdaguer, one of the jewels of the Botànica UB collection. Susanna Rafart and Noemí Montetes-Mairal closed the program of activities by reciting some of the verses of L’ombra desigual / Partes del fuego.

Two of the most outstanding plays of the course were presented on stage: Dones? Homes? Sexe i gènere, biologia i cultura, by Jordi Casanova i Roca, and Filòsofes de la contemporaneïtat, by Núria Sara Miras Boronat. These are precisely the books that will be the subject of the first two sessions of the reading club organized by UB Editions with the bookstore Alibri. The journalist and writer Eva Comas-Arnal will lead the meetings, which on Wednesday 27 September will be devoted to the latest title in the Filosofia UB collection and on Wednesday 22 November, to the latest addition to the Catàlisi collection.

The main event of the academic edition of the Catalan Book Week was the presentation of the books awarded in the V Joan Lluís Vives Awards, which this year recognized books by UB Editions in three of the four categories. The jury of the Vives Network has awarded La Terra en perill. L’impacte d’asteroides i cometes, by Josep M. Trigo Rodríguez, as the best science and technology book; Esclaus a Empúries. Els batallons disciplinaris de treballadors a les excavacions entre 1940 i 1942, by Francisco Gracia Alonso, as best book of social sciences, arts and humanities ex aequo, and Història de vida de Mari Chordà. Artista multidisciplinària, poeta i activista feminista, by Núria Gil Duran and co-published with Publications of the Universidad Rovira i Virgili, as best inter-network co-publication.

The organization values the figures positively and is already working with the Barcelona City Council on the 42^nd edition of the Catalan Book Week, which will take place on Passeig Lluís Companys: the location will change exceptionally due to the celebration in Barcelona of the 37th America's Cup Event.