It is difficult to imagine what would be the path of mankind without writing. Thanks to the unknown inventor of signs, people were able to capture their thoughts and save what was written. Later, typography appeared, which contributed to the spread of scientific and other ideas around the world.
Thanks to the authors of books, readers learn about the life of people from different countries and eras, learn to understand themselves and others, find answers to questions, and receive aesthetic pleasure.
For the poet, prose writer, playwright himself, it is important that his works enjoy well-deserved recognition, are not subject to severe censorship, and are published in accordance with the principle of freedom of information. To attract people's attention to literary creation, World Writer's Day is called upon.
history of the holiday
The initiative to establish a festive date was made in 1986 by the International PEN Club. The organization was founded in the 20s of the XX century by the English writer Catherine Amy Dawson-Scott. Headed the union of J. Galsworthy.
The name of the club stands for Poets, Essayists, Novelists, which means “poets, essayists, novelists”. The abbreviation PEN corresponds to the English word, which means "pen for writing."
PEN-club was created in order to withstand any suppression of freedom of speech within the country and abroad. According to the members of the organization, writers have the right to express their own opinion, criticize the political system of their country, governing bodies, and the social sphere. Since it is important to comply with the measure when working on literary works, the PEN Club opposes false publications, falsification of data, and false interpretation of facts for political, group and personal purposes.
The date of the professional holiday of writers was chosen on March 3. World Writer Day established at the 48th congress of the club.
PEN centers are open in one hundred and thirty countries of the world.
Freedom of Speech: Rethinking
Development trends of modern society (democracy, informatization, expanding the sphere of influence of the media, Internet resources, political transformations in a number of countries) necessitate a clear definition of the concept of “freedom of speech” in relation to the realities of today. The right to freely express one’s thoughts is enshrined in the laws of many countries, but in reality, the will of citizens is limited by legal norms and a system of values characteristic of a particular culture. Celebrated on March 3, World Writer's Day is an occasion to draw attention to the problem.
Freedom cannot be considered arbitrary and implies the realization of human rights in combination with an individual's recognition of responsibility for his actions. The same goes for freedom of speech. The writer, journalist, and the average Internet user need to clearly understand that everything they say entails certain consequences. At the same time, genuine freedom of speech is impossible without the trust of the state in relation to the media, authors, and publishers.
Contemporary writer: who is he?
Being a master of the word is both a reward and a punishment. Writing, even if it brings money and fame (congratulations on World Writer's Day, a book exhibition with autographs once a month, etc.), is not considered a full-fledged profession. Rather, it is a vocation, following internal motives, fulfilling the desire to say something to humanity.
In the modern pragmatic world, a writer is no longer a martyr, a prisoner of conscience, but a workaholic striving for success. It becomes more difficult to satisfy the spiritual needs of readers, as people have become more demanding and have access to various sources of information.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, egalitarianism gradually disappeared, and an understanding appeared that a person cannot be averaged. Therefore, when creating the next masterpiece, the characteristics of the target audience are taken into account: housewives, gamers, candidates of philosophical sciences, etc. Each social group requires works of a certain level and theme.
Domestic and foreign authors raise the problems of a person’s place in society, social inequality, relations between men and women in our time, the search for forces and opportunities to deal with adversity and achieve goals. These are the works of A. Berseneva, V. Tokareva, T. Ustinova, J.D. Salinger, P. Coelho, G.G. Marquez and others.
Publishing a good book and gaining readers' recognition is not easy, but in the age of information technology everyone can satisfy the need to speak out on social networks, diaries, and personal blogs. Talented users have a chance to grow into professional authors.
Festive events
World Writer's Day is celebrated not only by pen workers, but also by all who are involved in literature, culture, and art. In educational institutions annually on March 3 literary mornings and evenings, creative meetings with writers and poets are held.
Preschool children and high school students get acquainted with children's literature, read poetry, participate in skits, share their impressions of what they read at library lessons. So in the post-Soviet space celebrate World Writer's Day. Events invariably enjoy success.
Adults are literary critics, public figures, theater groups. The holiday is celebrated in educational institutions, scientific organizations, cultural institutions, publishing houses, etc.
World Writer Day at the library
Who, if not librarians, should be directly involved in the preparation and conduct of the holiday? Modern libraries are not just repositories of books, but real cultural and educational centers in which both children and adult readers spend time with pleasure.
On World Writer's Day, libraries are invited to interactive events. For example, Ufa schoolchildren not only listened to the performance of the children's writer Svetlana Voytyuk, but also took part in the production of the play based on the author’s work. In the library of one of the schools in the Belarusian city of Borisov, students created their own little books. Readers of the Lipetsk Scientific Library had the opportunity to get acquainted with a collection of works by writers of their native land.
Meetings with representatives of the creative intelligentsia and book exhibitions are held in all libraries of the Russian Federation and neighboring countries.
Literary Prizes
World Writer's Day is also known for the fact that on March 3 they award the most talented word masters. Prizes are awarded on other days of the year. So, in 2015, Sergey Nosov became the laureate of the "Literary Bestseller" for the novel "Curly Braces".
Elena Dorman was awarded the Alexander Pyatigorsky Literary Prize for the translation of the philosophical work of A. Schmemann “The Liturgy of Death and Modern Culture”.
The international Booker Prize was awarded to the Hungarian writer-scriptwriter Laszlo Krasnakhorkai on the totality of literary merits.
Over the years, Henrik Senkevich, Ivan Bunin, Boris Pasternak, Heinrich Böll and other authors became Nobel Prize winners in literature .