APRIL 23, THE PERFECT DAY TO CELEBRATE BOOKS, AUTHORS AND ROSES

Guest Writer: PATRIZIA POGGI

April 23, the feast of St. George, is an important date. It is Shakespeare Day and World Book and Copyright Day, also known as Book and Roses Day, an event sponsored since 1996 by UNESCO to promote the reading, publication of books and the protection of intellectual property through copyright. Why was April 23 chosen?

The celebration of World Book and Copyright Day – UNESCO, 23 April – #WorldBookDayWorld – takes place with the theme to ‘share a story. ‘ The day aims to changes lives through a love of books and shared reading. The power of books should be leveraged to combat isolation, reinforce ties between people, expand our horizons, while stimulating our minds and creativity.

They chose April 23 to celebrate books for three important reasons. The English author William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 and died on 23rd April 1616 at the age of 52. On April 23 other two important writers died in 1616: the Spanish Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) and the Peruvian Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (1539-1616).

The title of UNESCO World Book Capital is awarded annually to a city in connection with its book plans. This year the chosen city is Tbilisi in Georgia. It was pointed out by the Director General of Unesco, Audrey Azoulay. The main objective of the city is to spread reading and increase accessibility to books for all social classes and age groups.

On April 23 we celebrate St. George’s Day patron saint of England. Saint George is also the patron saint of other nations such as Bulgaria, Portugal, Ethiopia, Greece and Russia. He is the patron saint of Barcelona and Catalonia and tradition has it that every man gives his woman a rose and booksellers use to give a rose for every book sold. One of the most special tours is the Casa Batlló, where Gaudí’s architecture depicts the legend of Sant Jordi and the dragon, which is related to the festival.

This year 2021, through the celebration of the International Year of the Roses, an International Open Call, we can open ourselves to others despite distance, and we can travel thanks to imagination by the power of the rose, the queen of all flowers. By creating a sense of community through the shared roses and the shared knowledge, those involved around the world can connect and mutually help curb loneliness.

The Year Of The Roses: The English Page by ACT:

https://www.artculturetourism.co.uk/yearoftheroses2021.html

Anno Delle Rose: The Italian Page by OKAY! magazine: