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The People's Republic of China is this year’s special guest at the 30th edition of the Barcelona International Comic Fair, which runs from May 3rd to 6th at the Fira de Barcelona. An exhibition will showcase the most important works in the history of Chinese comics. Furthermore, this edition is turning the spotlight on robots, dedicating its main exhibition both to entertaining and exploring the relationship between robots and comics, cinema and literature.

There is a special feel to the streets of Catalonia on 23rd April as for one day locals set aside their daily concerns to celebrate a unique tradition: Sant Jordi’s Day. Every 23rd April is awash with the colour of roses and the gleaming jackets of books hot off the presses. Tradition dictates that today is the day men give their loved ones a rose and in return women buy men a book. The results are spectacular as around 7 million roses and 1.7 million books are sold in the space of a single day.

Toni Strubell brings together 35 interviews with some of the best known Catalan politicians –including two former presidents-, academics, sportsmen and authors of the country to explain Catalonia “to the world”. The book has been edited by Liz Castro and includes pictures by Lluís Brunet

The convention is celebrating its 29th edition. It hopes to gather a total of 100,000 comic fans during the four-day fair. This year the largest exhibition is devoted to creatures of the living-dead.

This English writer has been living in Catalonia for the last 26 years. This week he presented his new book ‘Barcelona, Catalonia: A View from the Inside’. Tree explains the difficulties he encounters explaining Catalonia to foreigners.

Catalans traditionally exchange roses and books with their loved ones on 23rd of April. Streets and squares around the country fill with crowds in celebration of the National Day or ‘Diada’.

The Comic Book and Illustration Museum aims to contribute to the development of a cultural industry with a long tradition in Catalonia. Professionals ask the already approved museum to open its doors by 2013 in Badalona, next to Barcelona.

According to the Publishers Association of Catalonia, the book sector made a 10% loss last year. Books in Catalan represent 26.5% of the domestic market, 1.1% more than in 2009.

The 28th edition of the Liber International Book Fair ends tomorrow in Barcelona. This year’s 3-day fair focuses on new technologies such as the Ipad, book tablets and other electronic reading material.

At the ceremony held Thursday night in Barcelona, U.S. novelist Harlan Coben received the award for the RBA International Prize for Crime Writing for his novel ‘Live Wire’. The new book reflects on the limits of sincerity and forgiveness and is part of his hit series starring his alter ego, private detective Myron Bolitar.