The journalist and novelist Sergio Vila-Sanjuán publishes in Libros de Vanguardia, “Barcelona, la ciudad de los libros.”

In this short essay, which includes a conference for the Cervantes Observatory at Harvard University, the author summarizes more than six centuries of tradition and answers these questions:

Why is Barcelona one of the great international book capitals, with such a long and continuous history? Why does it house the main publishers in the Spanish-American sphere, and celebrate every year, on April 23rd, the most beautiful and spectacular book festival in the world? Why has it generated various universal myths about the power of the printed word, such as the printing press of Don Quixote, the legend of the murderous bookseller, and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books?

Watch the video of the interview here