World Book Day is celebrated on April 23. A day set aside to draw attention to the role of books in the development of peace, tolerance and universal ideology.
"No one reads these days" is an oft-heard lament. Entertainment and information mean television, movies, or the Internet today. Many predict the death of print. Die-hard book lovers argue reading can never die. In such an atmosphere, the celebration of the World Book Day(WBD) is relevant. WBD is celebrated internationally on April 23 - a date chosen because several prominent authors were born or died on this day. Shakespeare, Cervantes(Don Quixote), Nabokov(Lolita, Pale Fire) are some of the literary figures associated with this date. The idea for WBD was launched on November 15, 1995, at the General Conference of the UNESCO. The stated purpose was to "promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyrights". The celebration of a day dedicated to books, it is hoped, will draw attention to the role of books in the development of peace, tolerance, and universal ideology. Books, after all, present the means of knowledge, communication and expression. Despite the steadily growing popularity of other media, books continue to be the basis for education and critical thought.
Celebrations of the WBD vary from country to country. The emphasis, of course, is on encouraging more people to read. In the UK, children are given a book token, which can be exchanged for any of the five specially released WBD titles. Donations of books to libraries, competitions, launching of newspapers are some of the more conventional ways of celebration.
The Koreans came up with a truly unique idea when they introduced a whole subway train in Seoul (South Korea) with books displayed in it. The book exhibition was organized according to various themes and displayed in specially designed bookshelves. This year the celebrations will also be launched online. Log onto www.worldbookdayfestival.com to meet celebrities, enjoy chat sessions, or review books.
The German Stitung Lesen, a foundation that promotes reading, has proposed a unique idea, whereby 40 German authors hope to set a new world record by conceiving, writing and printing a book in 12 hours! The authors will be given a topic at 7.45 am on WBD and the finished books will be in bookshops of 10 cities in Germany, 12 hours later.
UNESCO, which is behind the idea of a day devoted to books, has been working tirelessly to encourage people to read. They have carried out translation works in various countries and also published books for children and women. On this day, visit the website of Project Gutenberg (http://www.Gutenberg.net), a massive project of making great books of world literature available free online. .... Or, in a particularly adventurous mood, perhaps you would consider walking down to the nearest bookshop….
Courtesy: Young World, The Hindu dt 19.4.2003
"No one reads these days" is an oft-heard lament. Entertainment and information mean television, movies, or the Internet today. Many predict the death of print. Die-hard book lovers argue reading can never die. In such an atmosphere, the celebration of the World Book Day(WBD) is relevant. WBD is celebrated internationally on April 23 - a date chosen because several prominent authors were born or died on this day. Shakespeare, Cervantes(Don Quixote), Nabokov(Lolita, Pale Fire) are some of the literary figures associated with this date. The idea for WBD was launched on November 15, 1995, at the General Conference of the UNESCO. The stated purpose was to "promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyrights". The celebration of a day dedicated to books, it is hoped, will draw attention to the role of books in the development of peace, tolerance, and universal ideology. Books, after all, present the means of knowledge, communication and expression. Despite the steadily growing popularity of other media, books continue to be the basis for education and critical thought.
Celebrations of the WBD vary from country to country. The emphasis, of course, is on encouraging more people to read. In the UK, children are given a book token, which can be exchanged for any of the five specially released WBD titles. Donations of books to libraries, competitions, launching of newspapers are some of the more conventional ways of celebration.
The Koreans came up with a truly unique idea when they introduced a whole subway train in Seoul (South Korea) with books displayed in it. The book exhibition was organized according to various themes and displayed in specially designed bookshelves. This year the celebrations will also be launched online. Log onto www.worldbookdayfestival.com to meet celebrities, enjoy chat sessions, or review books.
The German Stitung Lesen, a foundation that promotes reading, has proposed a unique idea, whereby 40 German authors hope to set a new world record by conceiving, writing and printing a book in 12 hours! The authors will be given a topic at 7.45 am on WBD and the finished books will be in bookshops of 10 cities in Germany, 12 hours later.
UNESCO, which is behind the idea of a day devoted to books, has been working tirelessly to encourage people to read. They have carried out translation works in various countries and also published books for children and women. On this day, visit the website of Project Gutenberg (http://www.Gutenberg.net), a massive project of making great books of world literature available free online. .... Or, in a particularly adventurous mood, perhaps you would consider walking down to the nearest bookshop….
Courtesy: Young World, The Hindu dt 19.4.2003
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