Passing the Centenary building (photo) of the National Library in downtown Rio de Janeiro, this Friday (14), will be an opportunity to win a book. The institution, linked to the Ministry of Culture, will distribute two thousand copies to the population.
The act is part of the International Book Donation Day, originally created in the United Kingdom in 2012 and replicated in various parts of the world, always on February 14. The goal is to stimulate the reading habit and expand access to books.
There will be 40 titles published by the National Library itself. Each work will have 50 copies distributed to visitors. They are books of poetry, history and iconography, among other topics.
“This is a symbolic and important date that constantly inspires us to reflect on the need to increase the number of readers and increasingly democratize access to books,” said the National Library on a social network.
Among the works that will be distributed to the public include Water eyes (Conceição Evaristo, 2014); Darcy, the other face of Vargas (Ana Arruda Callado, 2011); DIVINA PROPORTE (Luca Pacioli, 2006); Kijane Kweza: A very capable warrior (Júlio Cesar Medeiros da Silva Pereira, illustrations Vania Maria, 2014); Euclides da Cunha: a poetics of the Brazilian space (Exhibition Catalog, 2009) and Rio de Janeiro through the old prints (Lygia da Fonseca Fernandes da Cunha, 1970).
The National Library is located at Cinelândia Square (Av. Rio Branco, 219), and opens to the public from 10am to 5pm.
Book market
The research Book consumption panoramareleased last Friday (7) by the Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL) – non -profit association representing editors, booksellers, distributors and other professionals in the sector – points out that in the 12 months prior to October 2024 – 84% Of the Brazilians over 18, they did not buy books. ((https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/culticia/noticia/2025-02/em-12-meses-18-maiores-de-18-anos-complete-ao-menos-1-livro) )
Among the factors that demotivate the acquisition of books are the price (35.5%), the lack of bookstores in the region (26.2%) and the lack of time to read (24.2%). The survey was based on 16,000 interviews.
According to another survey, this time from the National Book Editors Union (Snel), the year 2024 closed with 55.30 million books sold, a growth of 0.7% compared to 2023. This represented a revenue of R $ 2.8 billion against R $ 2.58 billion in 2023.
