Sunday, April 23, marks Book Day 2023, an international holiday that is celebrated year after year in more than one hundred countries around the world.
Why do we celebrate Book Day?
The The origin of Book Daywould have to be sought in Spain, more specifically in Catalonia. In the year 1923, the Valencia-born writer Vicente Clavel Andrés (1888-1967) proposed to the Official Book Chamber of Barcelona the establishment of a special day for reading. King Alfonso on October 7, coinciding with the date of birth of the illustrious Madrid author Miguel de Cervantes.
In a more international sphere, We would have to go back to the year 1988, where we find its origin promoted by UNESCO and beginning to be celebrated the following year in several countries. It would not be until 1995 when the General Conference of UNESCO established the current date, April 23, as International Book Day with the aim of paying tribute to literature, promote reading among the population, the publishing industry and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.
Why was it decided to choose on April 23?
April 23 is a very special date in the world of literature in general, and in Spanish literature in general. particular, since it coincides with the death of Miguel de Cervantes, Garcilaso de la Vega and William Shakespeare, in the year 1616. Although the official day of Cervantes' death was April 22, he would be buried on The following day, April 23, this was when his death was recorded. The date also coincides with the birth or death of other illustrious authors such as Maurice Druom, Haldor K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla, Manuel Mejía Vallejo and William Wordsworth.
Celebrations on different dates
Not all countries celebrate Book Day on April 23. An example of this would be United Kingdom or Ireland, which commemorate it on the first Thursday of March under the name “World Book Day”.
Another example would be Chile, which established its own Book Day on November 29, 1927 in commemoration of Andrés Bello. However, this day has been forgotten and is currently celebrated on the internationally established date.
Yes, it is maintained on another date in Uruguay. Here, on May 26, they commemorate National Book Day, because that same day in 1816 the first national public library would be created thanks to the contribution of Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga.
In Paraguay, the designated date is June 25, having been celebrated since 1980 as Paraguayan Book Day. It would be on that date, but in the year 1612, when Ruy Díaz de Guzmán, the first Paraguayan historian, completed the manuscript of La Argentina, the first book written in these regions of America.
World Book Capital
Another aspect to highlight is that, every year, UNESCO , the International Federation of Library and Library Associations (IFLA), the International Publishers Association (IPA), the International Authors Forum (IFA) and the International Federation of Booksellers, choose a city as World Book Capital. This has been done since 2001, with the city of Madrid being chosen. Other world capitals have been Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Antwerp (2004), Turin (2006), Yerevan (2012), Athens (2018), Wrocław (2016), Buenos Aires (2011), Bogotá (2007 ) … After Guadalajara, Mexico, this year 2023 it will be the turn of Accra, in Ghana.
According to UNESCO, it has been decided select due to their strong commitment to the youth and their potential to contribute to the culture and wealth of Ghana. Likewise, the program proposed by Accra aims to attract young people through the power of books, in order to train future generations. This selection will be accompanied by important measures, including the reinforcement of school and community infrastructure, institutional support for lifelong learning, the promotion of the culture of reading, the defense of the publishing sector and other creative industries, or the development of professional skills that can stimulate the social and economic transformation of the West African country.
Even though this year's celebrations have not begun, we already know that the next designated city Strasbourg (France) will be the World Book Capital in 2024. Apparently, the choice of this venue is due to the city's enormous interest in books as a means to confront the challenges of social cohesion and climate change, always giving priority to young people as agents of change.
< h2 style="font-weight: 400;">Celebrations in SpainAs already mentioned, April 23 is a day of celebration in Spain, where we can find a multitude of activities around the country.
In Catalonia, it coincides with the popular Sant Jordi festival. Tradition says that on that day a book is given to men and a rose to women. For this reason, Catalan cities become enormous open-air bookstores and flower shops, full of stalls with authors signing copies.
It is also a special date in < strong>Alcalá de Henares, birthplace of the writer Miguel de Cervantes. This city is decorated and celebrates in the Auditorium of its University the Cervantes Prize, the highest literary distinction in the field of the Spanish language and awarded by the Kings of Spain.
In Madrid, every year a continuous reading of is held in the Column Room of the Círculo de Bellas Artes Don Quixote of La Mancha. As you can imagine, there are 48 hours of uninterrupted reading in which recognized figures from the cultural and political world participate, along with anonymous citizens. Also in this city the Night of Books is celebrated. There, more than a hundred bookstores open until midnight with a special cultural program.
In Málaga the Feria will take place del Libro, from April 28 to May 7, bringing together dozens of bookstores and twenty publishers.
