Roundup: Egyptian writers, intellectuals wish for more popularity of World Book Day

CAIRO, April 23 (Xinhua) -- As the world is marking World Book Day, Egyptian writers, intellectuals, and cultural officials wish for more popularity of the occasion that highlights the value of books, writers and reading as well as the significance of preserving copyrights.

Short for World Book and Copyright Day, it is an annual celebration on April 23 to promote reading, publishing, and copyright.

"Book is something basic and essential. Its popularity reflects the extent of a nation's progress and its ability to be a future civilization maker," said Egyptian novelist Youssef al-Qaeed.

World Book Day is significant because it promotes intellectual property rights "not only for writers and publishers but for the reader as well," said al-Qaeed.

Authors' rights are no small matter in terms of protecting one's original thinking and creativity as well as preserving history, Fathy Abdel-Wahab, head of Egypt's Cultural Development Fund, told Xinhua on Saturday.

"A writer's creativity is from his inner self, personal experience, and culture, among many other things," Abdel-Wahab added, stressing the need to raise public awareness.

"Writings do not perish by the death of their owners," he noted, citing the works of late Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz, a Nobel laureate in 1988, whose depiction of Egyptian neighborhoods and alleys has remained unique and influential for decades.

Abdel-Wahab is also in charge of the Naguib Mahfouz Museum and Creativity Center, which was opened by the culture ministry in 2019 in the heart of Cairo, featuring his books, handwritten drafts, and other personal belongings, as well as the texts commemorating his life and works.

Echoing al-Qaeed's opinion, Egyptian award-winning novelist Saeed Noah said World Book Day "is a day of festivity for any writer, reader and librarian," and Egypt should do more to raise its visibility to the general public.