Instituto Cervantes de Manila brings Día Internacional del Libro (International Book Day) to Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City, on April 20.
Celebrated annually by Instituto Cervantes centers all around the globe, Día del Libro has its roots in the centuries-old Catalan tradition of exchanging books for roses.
For every book purchased, each buyer will receive not only a 20-percent discount but a long-stemmed rose courtesy of participating bookstores.
Apart from the book market, visitors will also be treated to poetry recitals, music and a dance performance by a Spanish contemporary dance duo.
Día del Libro was originally celebrated every third week of April to commemorate the death of two of Western literature’s most well-known writers—William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes, author and creator of the most iconic character in Spanish literature—Don Quixote de la Mancha. Not only did these two die on the same year (1616), they also died on the same day—April 23rd.
Participating bookstores include National Book Store, PowerBooks and Fully Booked, as well as specialized bookshops such as Ortigas Foundation, National Historical Commission of the Philippines and Solidaridad Bookshop, owned by National Artist F. Sionil José.
The book market will be open at 1-8 p.m.
The award-winning Spanish contemporary dance duo of Álvaro Esteban and Elías Aguirre will perform their routine called “Entomo.”
Also to be held is Bersong Europinoy, organized with the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines.
Bersong Europinoy is a poetry recital in which representatives of the cultural offices within the EU recite poetry in their native language alongside Filipino authors reading their own works. This poetry recital marks the beginning of May as “European Month” in the Philippines.
Another highlight is the formal hand-over ceremony of Spanish books to public libraries in the country as part of Instituto Cervantes’ online book campaign “Más Libros, Más Libres.”
For every “Like” that the page (https://is.gd/maslibrosmaslibres) receives, Instituto Cervantes pledges a Spanish book to be donated to a public-school library where Spanish is currently being taught as a foreign-language subject.
The campaign will formally close on April 20, 4 p.m., and the books will be handed over to library representatives by Spanish Ambassador Jorge Domecq.
Día del Libro is organized by Instituto Cervantes, Embassy of Spain–Spanish Agency for Cultural Development Cooperation, Inaem and Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) in collaboration with Bonifacio Art Foundation Inc., Bonifacio High Street and Bonifacio Global City, with the support of Manila Contemporary.
Visit www.manila.cervantes.es or Instituto Cervantes Facebook page www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.
