Insituto Cervantes presents Día del libro at Ayala triangle
Instituto Cervantes, the cultural arm of the Embassy of Spain, celebrates Día del Libro or the International Book Day on April 21 with thousands of books gathered at the Ayala Triangle.
As in previous years, Día del Libro will feature top bookstores and publishing houses that will be selling a wide array of books at a 20 percent discount. Following the tradition in Spain, every book purchase entitles one to a free rose.
Apart from the book market, visitors to Día del Libro will be treated to poetry recitals, free Spanish classes, book presentations, street art to commemorate the 200 years of Prado Museum, games, as well as activities for the children. La Liga, the Spanish Football League, invites Manileños to score a goal in its “Chuta-Gol” game with cool prizes.
One of the main features of the day will be a free concert by the Manila Symphony Orchestra. The “Concierto en el Parque” at 5:30 p.m. features classical pieces from the Spanish and Filipino repertoire.
After an enthusiastic reception by Makati citizens in 2016 and 2017, the Pop-up Library “The Book Stop” returns to Ayala Triangle. The project, designed by WTA Architecture & Design Studio, is a non-profit library for the entire community, where visitors can interact in lively discussions with fellow readers and share their love of books, borrow volumes for free and exchange books. The aim here is reinvention — reinvigorating and re-establishing the library in Filipino society.
Instituto Cervantes is challenging visitors to join a quixotic attempt: to copy Don Quixote de La Mancha by hand. Among the events organized by Instituto Cervantes to commemorate the Day of Miguel de Cervantes is the “Rewriting of Don Quijote.” The Spanish cultural center is in search of 500 book-loving volunteers to take part in a “quixotic” endeavor: to hand-write Cervantes’ novel. The final hand-written book will be deposited in the Library of Instituto Cervantes. People interested in taking part in the writing of Don Quijote can join on the same day with no prior registration. Participants in the handwriting chain will receive a rose.
The Embassy of Chile will present an exhibit on Chilean writer Nicanor Parra (1914-2018), one of the renowned Latin American poets of the 20th century.
Visitors will have the opportunity to meet authors — among them, the winners of the National Book Awards.
This year’s celebration will include an evening twist with the Silent Disco, as well as a whole program of leisure and activities, including a feast of Spanish food, games. Photo buffs may also submit their best photos taken during Día del Libro. Cool prizes await the winners of this contest. Instituto Cervantes will also be giving out hun- dreds of books for free.
Día del Libro is organized by Instituto Cervantes de Manila, the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, in collaboration with Ayala Land, WTA Architecture & Design Studio, the Spanish Agency International Cooperation for Development (AECID), La Liga, Philippine Transmarine Carriers (PTC), Meralco Foundation, Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte of Spain, the NCCA, the National Book Development Board (NBDB), Turkish Airlines, the Embassy of Chile, and the best Manila bookstores.
Admission to all Día del libro activities is free on a first-come, first-served basis. For information, call 526-1482 or visit http://manila.cervantes.es or www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila. Instituto Cervantes de Manila is at Ayala Tower One & Philippine Stock Exchange Tower Plaza, Ground Floor, Ayala Triangle, Ayala Avenue, Makati.