Happy Sant Jordi, everyone! This is one of my favorite Catalan holidays, because it involves a dragon, a princess, and presents! In this case, books and roses. Here in Barcelona we will be walking along the Rambla visiting booksellers and florists with our loved ones in a tradition that began with a saint and was commercialized (romantically!) by the publishing industry.

Readers in New York can also get in on the Sant Jordi fun. The Catalan Institute is co-sponsoring some really fantastic cultural events this spring, some for Sant Jordi and some more throughout the month of May. Here is just a taste of some of the programs:

Sant Jordi Books & Roses Event

The central part of the event is a panel of distinguished speakers: Alexander Alland, Jr., former Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Columbia University, will present his book “Catalunya, One Nation,Two States”

Magali Souriau and her jazz trio will arrange a special concert performing works of Tete Montoliu.

To celebrate the tradition of Sant Jordi, Books and Roses will be exchanged and given away to attendants. Over 200 books related to Catalonia and the Catalan culture will be available free of charge.

Pastissier chef Jordi Ferrer will prepare an exquisite Catalan brunch accompanied with assorted delicacies.

For more info click here | RSVP required to <strong>rsvp [at] friendsofcatalonia [dot] com

Catalan Days:
Arts, Food and Literature from Catalonia and the Balearic Islands
April 15 – May 20

Catalan Music, Dance, Film, Theater, Literature and Cuisine at the PEN World Voices Festival, the CUNY Graduate Center, the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Carnegie Hall, Jazz Standard and the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Click here to visit the official website of Catalan Days. | Many events are free of charge! Some have very reasonably priced tickets.

Bowery Poetry Club

308 Bowery Street
Tickets: $10/$5 PEN Members at the door

May 1, 7:00 P.M.-8:30 P.M.
A cast of international poets present a reading: Fuad Rivka from Beirut, Nicole Brossard from Quebec, the Catalan poet Narcís Comadira, János Térey from Hungary, Uwe Kolbe, and Wayne Koestenbaum.

May 1, 9.00 P.M.
The Translation Slam [sweet!!]
Internationally renowned translators will take the spotlight and test their linguistic mettle against each other in translation duels.

Clandestí: Forbidden Catalan Cinema under Franco

May 8-12, 2009
Amazing film series, I wish I could fly to New York just to see these films!
View film series info and lineup | Tickets are cheap, you like movies, go to the movies!

Premiering tomorrow is a new documentary, CATALUÑA–ESPANYA which will take yet another look at the relationship between Catalans and Spaniards. I will post a review after seeing it this weekend. If you are in Catalunya, go see it! If you are in the US, demand that theaters bring it over there!

If you live in the US and you still send snail mail, you can now pimp your envelopes with portraits of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, or Maggie. While many fans argue that the show has been waning (starting perhaps in season nine), as an American institution and cultural touchstone it certainly deserves a series of commemorative stamps. POST OFFICE PRESS RELEASE

Here in Barcelona, I am treated to two Simpsons episodes per day on SONY Neox. Episodes are dubbed in Spanish (meh) but sometimes have an English language audio option (yay!).  Frankly some of the humor just doesn’t work in Spanish, although the voices are pretty close to the English-language voices. How do you translate Mr. Burns’ 1920s anachronisms, or Moe’s inner suffering? Although it is fun to see how they translate Ned’s quaint expressions.

“Doh!” is the same in every language.