Three Good Reasons to Adore Books in April 2008

(AP photo of Junot Diaz by Jim McKnight)




The more the fate of books in the world are called into question ––as they compete with the ever-increasing domination of techno gadgetry–– the stronger and more enduring their impact seems to become. There is, apparently, no such thing as a permanent substitute for the written word adorned by human imagination and artfully bound in hard or soft covers.

This observation is particularly evident in April 2008 for three strong reasons. Number one: this is indeed National Poetry Month and celebrations of it are in full swing, complete with the first “Poem in Your Pocket Day” slated for April 17.

Number two: the great and mighty 92nd Annual Pulitzer Prizes were announced this past week with Junot Diaz taking the fiction prize for his novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao; Tracy Letts picking up the drama prize for August: Osage County; Robert Hass receiving the poetry prize for Time and Materials; Saul Friedman receiving the nonfiction prize for The Years of Extermination; John Matteson getting the biography prize for Eden’s Outcasts; and David Lang receiving the music prize for The Little Match Girl Passion. Music icon Bob Dylan received a special citation “for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.”

The third reason April is such a powerhouse month for books is because April 23 is World Book and Copyright Day. Instituted by UNESCO in 1995, the idea for World Book and Copyright Day grew out of the practice of giving one book as a gift with every book purchased on Saint George’s Day in Catalonia. April 23 itself was adopted as the symbolic date for world literature in recognition of Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, all of whom reportedly died on this same day in the same year of 1616. In addition, it is the date of birth or death of other notable authors like Vladimir Nabokov, Manuel Mejia, Druon, K.Laxness, and Josep Pla.

As stated on the United Nation’s website: “It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.”

by Aberjhani
author of The Bridge of Silver Wings
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance