On April 21–24, Roman Motulsky, the director of the National Library of Belarus, was on a visit to Spain as a participant of the programme “Madrid, the World Book Capital”.
The title of the Book Capital is assigned annually by UNESCO to one of the world cities. The choice is associated with a significant event in the history of book publishing of the city or the country, which has global significance. The annual award of the title of the Book Capital was established by UNESCO in 2001.
The main events of the programme “Madrid, the World Book Capital” were held on April 22–24. This is due, primarily, to the fact that on April 23, since 1996, the World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated. The date for the international festival was chosen by UNESCO to commemorate the fact that on April 23, 1616 Cervantes and Shakespeare died (according to the Julian calendar).
During the visit Roman Motulsky met the director of the National Library of Spain Ana Santos Aramburo and discussed the possibility of establishing bilateral cooperation between the libraries of the two countries. The Spanish side expressed their support and willingness to participate in the events dedicated to the 500th anniversary of Belarusian book printing, including the International Librarianship Congress and the Book Fair in 2017.
Roman Motulsky donated to the National Library of Spain a collection of the best Belarusian books published within the framework of the project “Modern Belarus”. These publications fully reflect the socio-economic and political life of the country and its centuries-old history and culture.
The highlight of the programme was the IX Annual Cervantes Readings” during which representatives of about 30 countries read out fragments from the world-known novel El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in their mother languages. On April 22, in the Cervantes House-Museum in the city of Esquivias, the director of the National Library of Belarus read out the Don Quixote in the Belarusian language for the first time. After the performance, each reader donated to the Cervantes Museum in Esquivias the Don Quixote translated from the Spanish into their mother tongue and published in their country. The event was broadcast live over the Internet and on the radio.
This action took place for the 9 th time. Traditionally, it is attended by high-ranking officials of Spain and representatives of foreign countries, including heads of the republican and local authorities, leaders of political parties, leaders of social and cultural organizations, heads of diplomatic missions. This year the Readings wee attended by representatives of various countries in Europe, Asia, America and Africa, including South Korea, Senegal and Congo.
Participants of the event made a tour to the Cervantes House-Museum where the writer had lived, and where the idea of his novel had been born. The museum restores the Cervantes era, containing a number of everyday objects of the time; the feature is the special exposition of the Don Quixote editions in different languages. Now it has been replenished with the publication in the Belarusian language in the translation by M.P. Pozdnyakov.
After the official events the director of the National Library of Belarus was interviewed by the national radio. During the interview the issues of cultural cooperation between Belarus and Spain, and especially between the national libraries of the two countries were discussed.
Within the bounds of the visit to Spain, Roman Motulsky also visited the Museum of Prado, the Royal Palace, and museums and exhibition spaces in Toledo where books of different eras were presented.
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