World Book and Copyright Day

Each year, on 23 April, World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated to promote the enjoyment of books and reading.

About the Day

World Book and Copyright Day celebrations take place all over the world to recognize the scope of books - a link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures.

23 April is a symbolic date in world literature. It is the date on which several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. This date was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference, held in Paris in 1995, to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone to access books.

2024 celebrations - Indigenous Languages!

The International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-32) is a UN priority to uphold and promote linguistic diversity and multilingualism. Indigenous and local languages feature as part of the World Book Capital Network Charter, and the Charter recognizes a less rigid concept of ‘the book’, i.e., acknowledging various forms of literature (including oral traditions). For World Book and Copyright Day on 23 April, Indigenous Languages will be the message UNESCO will focus on.

Of the almost 7,000 existing languages – many of which are fast disappearing – the majority are spoken by indigenous peoples who represent the greater part of the world’s cultural diversity.

Strasbourg (France) is the World Book Capital for 2024.

Source : UNESCO

Celebrations in India

On the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, celebrations are organized by National Book Trust, India.