Instituto Cervantes brings International Book Day to Manila

MANILA, Philippines - Instituto Cervantes brings back the Día Internacional Del Libro (International Book Day) to the streets of Manila.

Celebrated annually by Instituto Cervantes centers all around the globe, Día Del Libro has in its roots 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 the participating bookstores. This year’s edition will be held on April 20 at Bonifacio High Street from 1 to 8 p.m. Apart from the book market, visitors will also be treated to poetry recitals, dance performances and a flamenco guitar show. 

Participating in the book market are some of the country’s most popular bookstores such as National Book Store and Fully Booked as well as specialized bookshops such as the Ortigas Foundation, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the La Solidaridad Bookshop, owned by National Artist F. Sionil Jose. The book market will be open from 1 to 8 p.m. 

Apart from the wide array of books to be sold on Día Del Libro, more exciting activities are lined-up for this special day. The award-winning Spanish contemporary dance duo of Álvaro Esteban and Elías Aguirre are set to perform their routine called Entomo in Manila only on Día Del Libro. Esteban and Aguirre will also be participating as the delegates of Spain in the Dance Xchange Festival hosted by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) from April 11 to 14 in Palawan.

Another highlight to watch out for is the formal hand-over ceremony of Spanish books to be donated to public libraries in the country as part of the online book campaign Más Libros, Más Libres. For every “Like” that the page (http://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 at 4 p.m. and the books will be handed over to the library representatives by the Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Jorge Domecq. 

For information, visit www.manila.cervantes.es or www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.