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World Book and Copyright Day
April 23, 2023
April 23rd is a symbolic date for world literature. Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died on April 23rd in 1616. Many other prominent authors, such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo also died on this date.
Naturally, UNESCO’s General Conference would take place in Paris on this date in 1995 with an endeavour to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors – encouraging everyone to discover the pleasure of reading and further the social and cultural progress of humanity. With this in mind, UNESCO created World Book and Copyright Day.
It is observed by millions of people in over 100 countrie and by hundreds of voluntary organizations, schools, public bodies, professional groups and private businesses. It has enabled them to discover and explore a multitude of aspects of the publishing world – books as sources of values and knowledge, as windows into the diversity of cultures and as tools for dialogue.
Since 2000, World Book and Copyright Day inspired another initiative of professional organizations receiving the assistance of UNESCO – World Book Capital City. Each year, a city is chosen. It undertakes the impetus of the Day’s celebrations until April 23rd of the following year. This transforms the celebration of books and copyrights into a recurrent activity, which extends to the geographical and cultural influence of books.
Official UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day website
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