In the midst of an unpredictable weather, which saw the sky cried like a lady who just lost her lover, followed by her wrath of scorching heat, on April 22, 2017, Instituto Cervantes Manila (ICM) welcomed book lovers and literary enthusiasts to the 12th edition of Día del Libro (Book Day).
For the second consecutive year, white-topped tents sprouted like mushrooms in Ayala Triangle Gardens to house exhibitors, mainly publishers and bookstores, and their hundreds of books that were sold at 20% discount. To the delight of many, the bigger version of the pop-up library by The Bookstop Project made a successful comeback. The pop-up library enabled Día del Libro visitors to interact with other literary enthusiasts and exchange books for free. Another activity that had a continued presence was Escribo el Quijote, where participants copied by hand Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quijote de la Mancha on a thick hardbound book with red cover. Escribo el Quijote started in Día del Libro 2015.
Aside from these entertaining activities, there were taller de caligrafía (lettering workshop), cadena de poesía, cuentacuentos en español, flamenco + percusión, story telling and puppet show, a 30-minute free Spanish class. Those who bought books or participated in the activities received long-stemmed red roses from the beautiful and handsome volunteers.
Día del Libro 2017 also became the venue for two book presentations and a book launching. The former included Layag: European Classics in Filipino and The Silver Way while the latter involved Flora de Filipinas, a book published by Vibal Foundation.
Día del Libro 2017 also signaled the inauguration of El Museo del Prado en Filipinas, the month-long photographic exhibition of some of Museo Nacional del Prado’s greatest masterpieces (more on this in my next entry). Around 50 life-size reproductions of works from the 12th to the 19th centuries, each with very informative description in both English and Spanish.
To look at these life-size reproductions of some of the masterpieces in The Prado Museum, please read El Museo del Prado en Filipinas, Part I and El Museo del Prado en Filipinas, Part II.
Día del Libro 2017 is presented by Instituto Cervantes Manila, Embajada de España en Filipinas, NCCA, National Book Development Board (NBDB), in collaboration with Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Inc. (PTC), Vibal Group, Turkish Airlines, The Book Stop, WTA Architecture and Design Studio, Grupo Anaya, and Ayala Land.
Here are some of the photos taken during Instituto Cervantes Manila’s Día del Libro 2017:
Ambeth Ocampo, the man partly responsible for my love for Philippine history, for Anvil Publishing. Photo by SPRDC.
The volunteers of Instituto Cervantes Manila were all smiles at 230pm, even after several hours of work (top). Elmo hands out the long-stemmed red roses to ladies and gentlemen alike.
The Book Stop’s Pop-up Library (counterclockwise from the top): the top, the inside, and the side views.
The bold red letters of Cervantes survived the year and made another blockbuster appearance this year. The bottom photo shows my classmates and I. Bottom photo by SPRDC.
We became part of Las Meninas or The Family of Philip IV by Diego Velázquez even just for a moment. ☺
My classmate as Charles V at the Battle of Mühlberg by Titian. I know my classmates’ names, I just do not want them posted.
The unruly hair and goofy smile aside, this was the only solo photo I had with the Cervantes letter where my face is not sweating like a leaking faucet. I was holding the only book I got that day, María López Fernández´s La Imagen de la Mujer en la Pintura Española 1890 – 1914. This joined my meager collection of Spanish books. Photo by SPRDC.
For the previous editions of Instituto Cervantes Manila’s Día del Libro, please read Día del Libro 2015 and Día del Libro 2016.
To know more about Instituto Cervantes Manila’s upcoming activities or if you want to learn Spanish, visit its website at http://manila.cervantes.es/en/default.shtm or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.