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April 23 is World Book Day and also St George’s Day, a date with extra meaning in Catalonia where it is marked with a particularly special traditional gesture that brings streets and book stalls to life.

 

Across Spain, the day is dedicated to celebrating reading and literature. It also pays tribute to Miguel de Cervantes, with the Cervantes Prize, Spain’s most prestigious literary award in Spanish writing, presented on this date. The day has international roots too, after UNESCO established World Book Day in 1995, recognising that Cervantes, who died on April 22 and William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, who both died only a day later on April 23, all in 1616.

 

In Madrid, Book Night has become a highlight, with bookshops staying open until midnight. There is also a cultural programme throughout the evening, along with a 10% discount on books, encouraging people to browse, discover and share their love of reading.

 

In Andalucía, the regional government is marking the occasion on a large scale. Around fifty activities have been organised by the Ministry of Culture and Sport, working through its network of libraries, museums and archives. These events include workshops, theatre performances, storytelling, exhibitions, author meet-and-greets, escape room games and guided visits, all designed to appeal to different ages and interests.

 

Patricia del Pozo, Minister of Culture and Sport for Andalucia, described the programme as “broad and varied,” adding that books are “a vehicle for knowledge accessible to all and for improving coexistence.”

 

The Andalusian Centre for Letters (CAL) is also involved, publishing its annual manifesto written this year by Sara Barquinero, described as “one of the most outstanding emerging writers in contemporary Spanish literature”. She will also give a talk titled Reading as a Forbidden Pleasure, where she reflects that reading “can be seen as a forbidden pleasure or a transgression, and this is a wonderful motivation to persevere in it.”

 

CAL is also working with book fairs in Almería, Málaga and Granada this month. In Granada, it has organised a round table discussion ahead of a new Manuel de Falla and Literature series, which will launch in autumn with support from the Manuel de Falla Archive Foundation.

 

For those looking beyond the events, April 23 is also a reminder of Spain’s rich cultural landscape, from Don Quixote to the works inspired by Madrid, Málaga and Granada, offering countless ways to explore the country through a good story and the way it connects people and place.

 

 

Image: congerdesign/Pixabay