In 1995, UNESCO designated April 23 as World Book Day to honor books and authors and to encourage everyone to read. This date is significant to many important authors and is also the date that Miguel de Cervantes died. In many Spanish-speaking countries, readers participate in a two-day “readathon,” an event that features a continuous reading of Cervantes’s masterpiece Don Quixote.
In honor of World Book Day and Miguel Cervantes's birthday, the Spanish and Portuguese department hosts a continuous read-a-thon of Don Quixote in various languages.
Día del Libro April 22-23, 2015