23rd April: WORLD BOOK and COPYRIGHT DAY

 

Theme for 2012: Books and Translation

23 April is a symbolic date for world literature for on this date in 1616, Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo.

It was a natural choice for UNESCO’s General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. In this respect, UNESCO created both the World Book and Copyright Day and the UNESCO Prize for Children’s and Young People’s Literature in the Service of Tolerance.

The year 2012 also marks the 80th anniversary of the Index Translationum. This international bibliography of translation provides a unique tool for the monitoring of translation flows in the world. UNESCO will celebrate this anniversary by organizing a debate on this instrument.

Visit the following websites related to BOOK DAY:

Shakespeare for kids: "To be or not to be-that is the que." Choose a game or activity from the signs at the left. Have fun coloring pictures, solving mazes, and ...

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: Dedicado a la biografía y bibliografía de este escritor universal.

Garcilaso de la Vega: La página de Garcilaso en Internet. Promovida por la Asociación de Amigos de Garcilaso de la Vega.

World Book Day: Official site of the yearly event. Introduces the day, lists events, and lists book recommendations. Also pictures of past events.

International Children’s Book Day.