World Book and Copyright Day: History, Theme and Books That You Must Try

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Every Year on April 23rd UNESCO celebrates World Book and Copyright Day all over the world. At a time when most of the schools around the world are closed and people are having to limit their time spent outside due to the coronavirus pandemic, the power of books must be leveraged to combat, and reinforce ties between people while stimulating the minds and creativity. 23rd April was selected by UNESCO to pay tribute to great literary figures like William Shakespeare, Miguel Cervantes, Vladimir Nabokov, and many more.

History

In the year 1995, UNESCO decided to celebrate April 23 as World Book and Copyright Day, since the date has prominence in the history of literature. April 23 marks the death anniversary of many prominent literary figures like William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, while the date also marks the birth anniversary of many other prominent authors including Maurice Druon, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla, Haldor K, and Manuel Mejia Vallejo. Therefore, UNESCO chose April 23 to celebrate World Book Day worldwide.

World Book Capital for 2022: Guadalajara (Mexico)

Every year, UNESCO and the three major sectors of the book industry international organizations: publishers, booksellers, and libraries, select the World Book Capital for one year, effective from 23 April of every year. This Year Guadalajara (Mexico) has been selected because of the city’s strong focus on inclusive education, the development of a knowledge-based society, and accessible reading for all parts of the city’s population. The city of Madrid (Spain) has been the first city to be named World Book Capital in 2001.

World Book Day 2022 Theme

World Book Day 2022 theme is “Read, so you never feel low”. The aim of conducting World Book Day is to motivate children across the world, especially those from the underprivileged and marginalized communities to develop reading habits for their intellectual growth.