April 23 is World Book and Copyright Day. The day has been celebrated since 1995 in honor of Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, who died on the same day in 1616. It is also the day of birth or death of such famous authors as Maurice Drewon, X. Laxness , J. Pla and Manuel Mejia Vallejo.
The International Book and Copyright Day is celebrated by UNESCO’s decision of November 1995. April 23 was chosen as the date.
World Book and Copyright Day is dedicated to all readers and is done to promote reading, book publishing and copyright.
By celebrating such a day, UNESCO tries to encourage as many young people as possible to discover the joy of reading, while at the same time showing its respect for the irreplaceable contribution of those behind the creation of each book.
From 2001 to the present, each year on this date, a city is designated to be the World Book Capital for one year. For 2024, the book capital of the world will be Strasbourg, France, which today takes the title from Accra, Ghana. This will happen at an official ceremony, after which the so-called Great reading in Chateau Square. By the end of April, about a hundred private and public reading places will be opened in Strasbourg.
“Reading our world” is the theme that the French city has chosen to lead while it is the World Book Capital.
