23 April is a symbolic date for world
literature.
It is on this date in 1616 that
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. With this in mind, UNESCO created the World Book
and Copyright Day.
World Book Capital for 2018: Athens,
Greece
Each year, UNESCO and the international
organizations representing the three major sectors of the book industry -
publishers, booksellers and libraries, select the World Book Capital for a
one-year period, effective 23 April each year.
The city of Athens was chosen for the
quality of its activities, supported by the entire book industry. The aim is to
make books accessible to the city’s entire population, including migrants and
refugees.
Source: UNESCO