“In Barcelona, St. Valentine’s seat is occupied by Jordi, a knight who, according to medieval legend, slew a dragon and saved a village, including the daughter of a king; the dragon’s blood produced a rosebush where it dripped. Catalans celebrate St. Jordi each April by exchanging roses and books with their loved ones.” (The New Yorker) 

Come celebrate New York’s Sant Jordi festival at Unnameable Books with two readings from Archipelago and Open Letter!

7pm

Natasha Wimmer & Jennifer Shyue discuss Shyue’s translation of The Enlightenment of Katzuo Nakamatsu by Augusto Higa Oshiro Katzuo Nakamatsu is at sea after being forced out of his job as a literature professor. He retreats into flânerie, musing with imaginary interlocutors, roaming the streets of Lima, and reciting the poems of Martín Adán. With an electric lunacy, he spruces himself up with a pinstripe tie, tortoiseshell glasses, and wooden cane, taking on the costume of an old man he knew as a child, hoping to grasp that man’s tenacious Japanese identity.

Wine and cheese will be served during a short break!

8pm

Author Max Besora, publisher Kaija Straumanis, & Catalanist Mary Ann Newman will discuss The Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpi, Conquistador and Founder of New Catalonia Joan Orpí (Piera, 1593–New Barcelona, 1645) is a mysterious figure in Spanish history. In this torrential book we are told the odyssey that brought him first to Barcelona, later to Sevilla, and finally to America, where he would find himself in a variety of outlandish situations. Besora, Straumanis, and Newman will discuss the influence of 60s and 70s American authors on Catalan literature and on this book in particular, and the fantastic use of Latin American scenarios in Catalan literature.