Argentine readers of Heartstopper launched a campaign for Alice Oseman to visit Buenos Aires

Olé olé olé olé, Alice, Alice… Convened by the youth publisher VR YA, a label by VR editor, Dozens of boys between 19 and 24 years oldMost of them met this Saturday in the roundabout Belgrano Canyonsunder the scorching December sunbeam, to record a video aimed at the British writer Alice OsemanAuthor of the successful graphic novel Heart stopper. The Mission: convince them to visit Argentina at the next International Book Fair in Buenos Aires.

Charlie Spring, a gay teenager who was bullied at his school, and Nick Nelson, a popular and initially straight rugby player in class, share a bench in the classroom and become friends. Bit by bit, Nick enters Charlie’s sensitive world and an unexpected romance slowly develops between them.

In between, queer love stories arise between her friends Elle Argent and Tao Xu and between Tara Jones and Darcy Olsson.

With simple, delicate and expressive illustrations and with the recurring use of symbols such as leaves and stars to convey emotions, The British author builds a narrative universe focused on sexual diversity, affection and respect.

Heart stopper is not just a novel about queer teenage romance. It is a work that clears up clichés and of course addresses topics such as comprehensive sexuality education, eating disorders and mental health.

“In a world of young adult literature where Prince Charming saves you, the characters of Heartstopper are not saved by being in a relationship or falling in love. There is even a very nice scene where Nick talks to his mother about Charlie and his eating disorder, which makes sense,” expressed the seal’s editor, Melisa Corbetto, in dialogue with Clarín.

And the graphic novel, that started in 2016 as a free webcomic Soon to be published by the author on digital platforms captured the attention of teenage readers around the world and made the leap onto paper in 2018 with a self-published first edition.

In 2019, Scholastic’s Graphix publisher took the baton and officially introduced the volumes, which multiplied a five-volume saga, a sixth of which has already been announced for 2026. The phenomenon grew with translations into various languages, including Spanish, where VR YA was a pioneer, publishing and distributing the work in Argentina and Latin America before the United States.

The impact was so great that Netflix released the series of the same name in 2022. written and supervised by Oseman himself cemented the story as a global reference for contemporary young adult literature. Today, Heart stopper Not only is it a publishing success, with millions of copies sold; a symbol of representation and diversity that spans generations and continues to add readers and viewers around the world.

That’s why the representatives of the publishing house, together with Osemans, have fans in the shade in 35 degree temperatures and armed with posters and billboards They put together a petition with no shortage of songs and emotions: “We want Alice to meet her Argentine fans.”

Exclusively for ClarionAgostina Schenone, press spokesperson at VR YA, explained it enthusiastically:

“Many years ago We’re trying to get Alice Oseman to come to the International Book Fair so she can get to know Argentina’s reading communitywhich, as we all know, all Argentines are very fanatical about. It is something that transcends generations, also because of the nature of the subject: a lot of diversity, stories told with great tenderness and looking at sexuality from a different side, without the taboo of “coming out”, a phrase with which we do not agree very much. There is no closet anymore. So at VR NOW, this story and the other types of stories we publish are about ensuring that every person who picks up a book from our publisher finds representation in our stories. and with Heart stopper It really was a boom. So yes, we are very happy.”

For her part, editor Melisa Corbetto recalled: “I had seen in 2018 that there was a lot of talk on social networks. Heart stopper because the author published it on the Internet for free. It took a while to convince the publisher, but luckily we brought it forward and published it in February 2020. before everything closed down; Otherwise it wouldn’t have been the phenomenon that it was. Alice by no means underestimates her audienceknows the topics that interest them and touches them with respect, makes them happy, speaks with them in the same language. You read it and, even if you’re not a teenager and you’re not queer, you feel a little warmth inside because it’s very pure, very beautiful.”

“I started reading the graphic novel and watching the series two years ago I think it’s very important to make visible everything that the series and the books talk about.said Milena Walter, 22, while Carolina Sichel, 24, added: “It revolutionized everything for me And it seems to me that in addition to sexual diversity, it also touches on issues like mental health, and it’s important to be able to meet characters like that in high school who have real problems.”

In return, Mile Cabrera, 19, said: “The whole movement seems super important to me. Heart stopper and how important it was for some teenagers to help them navigate books and feel represented in books.” Victoria Ferrey, 39, also recalled: “I would have liked to have had a book with this kind of representation, because in my time there was none.”

Olivia Vineli, 25, noted: “An important part of Alice Oseman’s comics is the way she conveys emotions and.” deep topics like mental healthand I think the word that defines her is caring, and we want her to thank her for that caring, not just in her books and on the show, but for caring for a generation,” Olivia said, adding, “I’m bisexual because of her.” I read your books, I realized what I was feeling. I cried when Nick confessed to his mother that he was bisexual, and I said to myself, “There’s something I’m missing.” After lots of therapy and thanks to books, I finally came out as bisexual. That’s why I would like to meet Alice to thank her and hug her.”