International Book Day
posted on Monday, April 16, 2007"Let others boast about the pages they have written; I am humbled by the ones I have read." - Jorge Luis Borges
On April 21, the Instituto Cervantes in Manila will join all the international celebrations on the World Book Day by organising a series of cultural events open to the general public.
A day of books and roses… Although not celebrated in the Philippines, the International Day of the Book is an important event in several European countries like Spain, and Instituto Cervantes aims to establish the date as a tradition in the Manila cultural calendar.
The International Day of the Book (or World Book Day) is a yearly event organized every April 23 to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright. The idea of this celebration originated in Catalonia, Spain where on St George’s day, males and females traditionally exchange a rose for the gift of a book.
This tradition inspired a Spanish delegation, supported by some twenty other countries, to propose to the UNESCO a resolution requesting the proclamation of April 23 of each year as “World Day of the Book”. It was unanimously adopted in November of 1995 and celebrated ever since. The 23rd of April was also considered as it is a symbolic date in world literature. Curiously in the year 1616 on this very day died literary legends Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. It also happens to be the date of birth or death of other prominent authors: Maurice Druon, Halldór Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo.
In celebration of this special occasion, Instituto Cervantes will organize a whole day Open House with many fun activities like concerts, film showings, Spanish food fair, photo and declamation contests on April 21, 2007 from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm. It will begin with a Book Market where Instituto Cervantes will offer at token price more than 4,000 brand new books. Aside from the Instituto Cervantes, the market will include a sale of books by popular Filipino publishing firms and leading bookstores at 20% off! Also following the tradition during the Day of the Book in Spain, a rose will be gifted to every book buyer!
Guided tours of the Instituto Cervantes building will be organized at different schedules. Visitors can also get the chance to attend a free Spanish class for beginners! A 20% discount off the regular price awaits new students who enrol on this day! (Only valid for certain schedules and full payment).
And for poetry lovers, a Poetry Reading Contest will be organized at the Patio of Instituto Cervantes at 4:30 pm. El mejor poema / The Best Poem invites poetry lovers to bring their favourite poem and read it aloud! There will be two categories: Spanish & Other Languages. Cool prizes await the winners! Those interested can sign up at 526 1482 to 85 (Marie).
Special movie screenings with the theme Great Books on Screen will start at 2:00 pm. Films based on literary works will be projected at the Salón de Actos theatre. Schedule is as follows:
2:00 pm La colmena Directed by Mario Camus in 1982. (Based on the novel of the same title by Camilo José Cela, La Colmena is a sad composition with the stories of many people in the Madrid of 1942, just the postwar of the Spanish Civil War. The main theme of the film is the contrast between the poets, surviving close to misery under the Franco's regime, and the winners of the war, the emerging class of the people that makes easy money with illegal business. Winner of the Golden Bear in the Berlin Film Festival.)
6:00 pm El método Directed by Marcelo Piñeyro in 2005. (Based on the famous play El método Grönholm, about different job interviews, this film explores the dark inner workings of the corporate world. While the streets of Madrid are filled with anti-globalization demonstrators, candidates are assembled to be put through the final selection process for a single high-level position at a multinational corporation. The humiliation these people are willing to endure or inflict on others for the sake of the job is chilling to witness. Winner of 2 Goya Awards. For Adults Only).
Kids will also have the chance to enjoy 3 Spanish movies for children (at 11 am, 1:30 & 4:30 pm). Fancy karaoke? Practice your singing abilities in Spanish! A marathon karaoke will be set-up from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.
And in the evening, to top off the entire day, Instituto Cervantes proposes Día del Libro FIESTA with a Latin band, Spanish food… and lots of FUN!
I’m looking for Instituto Cervantes.
On April 21, the Instituto Cervantes in Manila will join all the international celebrations on the World Book Day by organising a series of cultural events open to the general public.
A day of books and roses… Although not celebrated in the Philippines, the International Day of the Book is an important event in several European countries like Spain, and Instituto Cervantes aims to establish the date as a tradition in the Manila cultural calendar.
The International Day of the Book (or World Book Day) is a yearly event organized every April 23 to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright. The idea of this celebration originated in Catalonia, Spain where on St George’s day, males and females traditionally exchange a rose for the gift of a book.
This tradition inspired a Spanish delegation, supported by some twenty other countries, to propose to the UNESCO a resolution requesting the proclamation of April 23 of each year as “World Day of the Book”. It was unanimously adopted in November of 1995 and celebrated ever since. The 23rd of April was also considered as it is a symbolic date in world literature. Curiously in the year 1616 on this very day died literary legends Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. It also happens to be the date of birth or death of other prominent authors: Maurice Druon, Halldór Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo.
In celebration of this special occasion, Instituto Cervantes will organize a whole day Open House with many fun activities like concerts, film showings, Spanish food fair, photo and declamation contests on April 21, 2007 from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm. It will begin with a Book Market where Instituto Cervantes will offer at token price more than 4,000 brand new books. Aside from the Instituto Cervantes, the market will include a sale of books by popular Filipino publishing firms and leading bookstores at 20% off! Also following the tradition during the Day of the Book in Spain, a rose will be gifted to every book buyer!
Guided tours of the Instituto Cervantes building will be organized at different schedules. Visitors can also get the chance to attend a free Spanish class for beginners! A 20% discount off the regular price awaits new students who enrol on this day! (Only valid for certain schedules and full payment).
And for poetry lovers, a Poetry Reading Contest will be organized at the Patio of Instituto Cervantes at 4:30 pm. El mejor poema / The Best Poem invites poetry lovers to bring their favourite poem and read it aloud! There will be two categories: Spanish & Other Languages. Cool prizes await the winners! Those interested can sign up at 526 1482 to 85 (Marie).
Special movie screenings with the theme Great Books on Screen will start at 2:00 pm. Films based on literary works will be projected at the Salón de Actos theatre. Schedule is as follows:
2:00 pm La colmena Directed by Mario Camus in 1982. (Based on the novel of the same title by Camilo José Cela, La Colmena is a sad composition with the stories of many people in the Madrid of 1942, just the postwar of the Spanish Civil War. The main theme of the film is the contrast between the poets, surviving close to misery under the Franco's regime, and the winners of the war, the emerging class of the people that makes easy money with illegal business. Winner of the Golden Bear in the Berlin Film Festival.)
6:00 pm El método Directed by Marcelo Piñeyro in 2005. (Based on the famous play El método Grönholm, about different job interviews, this film explores the dark inner workings of the corporate world. While the streets of Madrid are filled with anti-globalization demonstrators, candidates are assembled to be put through the final selection process for a single high-level position at a multinational corporation. The humiliation these people are willing to endure or inflict on others for the sake of the job is chilling to witness. Winner of 2 Goya Awards. For Adults Only).
Kids will also have the chance to enjoy 3 Spanish movies for children (at 11 am, 1:30 & 4:30 pm). Fancy karaoke? Practice your singing abilities in Spanish! A marathon karaoke will be set-up from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.
And in the evening, to top off the entire day, Instituto Cervantes proposes Día del Libro FIESTA with a Latin band, Spanish food… and lots of FUN!
I’m looking for Instituto Cervantes.
