Significance of World Book and Copyright Day

Team Udayavani, Apr 23, 2021, 1:34 PM IST

Source: Unsplash

April 23 every year is observed as World Book Day, also known as the World Book and Copyright Day or the International Day of the book.

The objective of this day is to promote the importance of reading, a lifelong love of literature, and integration into the world of work, to inculcate joy and foster the growth of readers and emphasize the pleasure of reading.

This day was introduced by UNESCO and now is celebrated in over 100 countries.

In order to pay homage to the brilliant author, Miguel de Cervantes (known for Don Quixote), whose death day is April 23, the initial idea to celebrate World Book Day was conceived by the Valencian writer Vincente Clavel Andres.

In 1995, during the General Conference held in Paris, the decision to mark April 23 as the World Book and Copyright Day was finalized.

April 23 bears witness to the birth and death of several distinguished authors around the world, for example, William Shakespeare, Cervantes, Josep Pla, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega breathed their last on April 23, and Manuel Meija Vallejo, Haldor K Laxness, and Maurice Druon were born on this day.

Significance of World Book Day

This initiative by UNESCO was taken to ensure the culture of reading continues to thrive and spread joy and to maintain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of books in our lives also acknowledge the contributions of significant writers, publishers who have aided the social and cultural progress of humanity.

To further the aim, UNESCO and other related global organizations select the World Book Capital for a year. This year, Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia has been chosen to be the World Book Capital in 2021. This year’s theme is “To share a story,” keeping the pandemic in mind.