In 1996, UNESCO chose April 23 as the date for World Book and Copyright Day. The date was not chosen by chance: on April 23, 1616, three of the most important and well-known writers in world literature died: Miguel De Cervantes (1547-1616), William Shakespeare (1564-1616), and Inca Garcilaso de La Vega. Other great authors were born on the same day: Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) and Icelandic Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness (1902-1998).
This day aims to encourage people to discover the pleasure of reading and highlight and promote the contribution authors make to the social and cultural progress of humanity.
A day dedicated to books
The tradition of dedicating a day to books originated in Catalonia, where the Valencian writer and publisher Vincent Clavel Andrés (1888-1967) supported and promoted an annual day dedicated to books. On February 6, 1926, King Alfonso XIII issued a royal decree establishing Spanish Book Day throughout Spain. This celebration, initially held on October 7, was moved to April 23 in 1931. The feast of Saint George, the patron saint of Barcelona and Catalonia, also falls on this date.
A medieval tradition holds that on this day men give a rose to the women in their lives. Catalan booksellers, drawing on the tradition but modifying it, customarily give away one rose for every book sold on April 23.
The World Book Capital
Since 2001, UNESCO has appointed a World Book Capital every year. For the 2023 edition, the title of World Book Capital passed from Guadalajara to Accra (Ghana), which was chosen “for its strong focus on young people and their potential to contribute to the culture and prosperity” of Ghana. “The program proposed by Accra,” the UNESCO statement reads, “seeks to use the power of books to engage these young people, as an effective way to empower the next generation.”
The cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capitals undertake to promote books and reading for people of all ages and population groups, within and beyond national borders, and to organize a year-round program of activities for which they have been designated.
Books and reading represent a means of exploration and knowledge; they are tools for information and cultural learning, both indispensable today for overcoming the uncertainties and instability linked to fear of globalization, change, and difference. Reading, which is also an unparalleled pleasure for enthusiasts, allows us to enter different worlds, lives, and eras and gives us the opportunity to approach experiences and realities far removed from our own, thereby expanding our knowledge and awareness of how multifaceted the world around us is.
