I’ve always wondered why an international book day should be restricted to just one day? Why not declare every day to be a book day? Or dedicate at least one day in the week to reading books?
This was a thought that came to mind last week, more precisely April 23, World Book Day. For those who came in late, this is the day on which an annual event is organised by Unesco to promote reading, publishing and copyright.
Originally conceived by a Spanish publishing house to honour one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century, Miguel de Cervantes, best known for his novel Don Quixote, it was first celebrated on the writer’s birthday (Oct 7) before it was moved to his death date April 23.
I read Don Quixote when I was in school and I’ve always wanted to reread it, sure that it will offer me new perspectives- of the book and perhaps of myself as well.
Books have been a delightful source of joy for me since the time I can remember, so when I began pursuing a career in journalism, I’d vie to choose assignments that involved interviewing authors and writers whenever they were in town. And were there plenty of ops in the UAE!
From the Sharjah International Book Fair, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, to The Emirates Literature Festival, the Al Ain Book Fair, and many more, the calendar was choc-a-block with events related to literature, books and writing. Then of course, there were a few ops that came up even overseas- like the Jaipur Literature Festival, which, to me, is easily one of the finest and most vibrant and intellectually stimulating lit fests I’ve ever attended.
I remember asking Manu Pillai, the best selling author of, among others, The Ivory Throne, just as the pandemic was coming to end what would be the first thing he’d do when the lock-in was lifted. Without batting an eyelid he said: ‘I’d go to a bookstore.’
If reading was – and still is – a pleasure, interviewing authors have been a revealing and insightful experience, one that has offered me a peek into their writing lives lending new perspectives to their works if not teaching me several life lessons.
Award-winning author David Grosman is one of those writers who, not unlike many others of his ilk, had plenty of anecdotes to narrate about writing and reading. The first book he wrote, he told me during an interview a few years ago, was following the pain and anguish he experienced when the love of his life who he was sharing an apartment with when he was all of 19 years, left him following an argument. “One day we had a slight disagreement about something,” he says, “and she packed all her belongings into her backpack and left me to go back and live with her parents.”
Devastated he began penning his thoughts and feelings shrouded in a story about an American soldier in Vietnam who feels isolated and lovelorn. But instead of sending the completed manuscript to a publisher, he mailed it to his beloved.
Four days later, he was in for a pleasant surprise when he heard a knock on his door. “It was my love. She had come back to me,’’ he recalls.
Now, what greater example do you need to underscore the power of words.
Today, with love becoming increasingly hard to come by, isn’t this a strong enough reason for International Book Day to be celebrated at least once every week?
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