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23rd April is celebrated as The World
Book and Copyright Day
23rd April is a symbolic date for
world literature, since 23 April 1616 was the date of death of Cervantes,
Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. 23rd April is also the date
of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, K.Laxness,
Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo.
This is why UNESCO chose this date to pay a worldwide
tribute to books and their authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and
in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and to gain
a renewed respect for the extraordinary contributions of those who have
furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.
The
idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia (Spain) where it has
become a tradition to give a rose as a gift for each book purchased.
By
celebrating this Day throughout the world, UNESCO seeks to promote reading,
publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.
