The City Council of Logroño celebrated International Book Day on Wednesday, April 23, with an institutional event held in the council chamber, a space that, for a day, was filled with literature.
Each member of the municipal corporation participated in this commemoration by reading aloud a fragment of a literary work chosen personally, leading to a journey through different authors, genres, and styles, united by the universal value of culture.
Mayor of Logroño, Conrado Escobar, began by paying tribute to the Logroño writer Rafael Azcona, a key figure in Spanish literature and cinema, by reading a fragment from his work ‘Los Ilusos’.
This selection was significant in highlighting local talent and the city’s connection to culture.
This simple and symbolic act was an invitation to celebrate International Book Day and the power of literature as a tool for thought, enjoyment, and social transformation, reinforcing the commitment of the Logroño City Council to promoting reading and accessible culture for all.
READINGS PERFORMED.
While there was variety, with fragments full of lyricism, political or social advocacy, and even memories of youth, a significant portion of the readings were by authors related to La Rioja and Logroño.
Following Mayor Conrado Escobar’s reading of Rafael Azcona, Government spokesperson Celia Sanz read a fragment from ‘El comienzo’ by Logroño poet Valle Mozas.
PSOE spokesperson Luis Alonso selected a text from the book ‘La vida de las luciérnagas. Historia de mujeres brillantes’ by Virginia Ruiz, dedicated to María Teresa Gil de Gárate.
VOX spokesperson María Jiménez chose the recently deceased Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa and ‘La fiesta del chivo’, while Partido Riojano spokesperson Rubén Antoñanzas read part of a prize-winning piece: ‘La tía Felisa’ by José María Lander.
Unidas Podemos-IU spokesperson Amaia Castro chose a text of social advocacy, ‘El libro de los abrazos’ by Eduardo Galeano.
Independent councilor Eva Loza had a memorable moment during the event when, before reading her chosen fragment, she praised the initiative, personalized it for the mayor, and gifted him a rose, symbolizing the day. She then read a portion of ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by Viktor Frankl.
Additionally, in the Socialist Group, Iván Reinares read ‘Tiempo de cuidados’ by Victoria Camps; María Marrodán read ‘El síndrome Borgen’ by Nuria Varela; Kilian Cruz-Dunne read ‘Jaque a la democracia’ by Joaquín BOsch; Esther Espinosa read ‘Discurso leído por la inauguración de la biblioteca pública de Fuente Vaqueros’ by Federico García Lorca.
In the Popular Group, Laura Lázaro chose ‘El Alquimista’ by Paulo Coelho; Laura Arrieta tried to read a fragment from ‘El Principito’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry but, overwhelmed by emotion, couldn’t finish – the council chamber president ended it for her; and Francisco Iglesias read ‘1984’ by George Orwell.
Among the ‘populars’, Patricia Sainz selected ‘Mientras brille la candela’ by Myriam Ferreira; Javier Martínez Mancho chose ‘Momentos estelares de la humanidad’ by Stefan Zweig; Iñigo López-Araquistáin read ‘Nuestra señora de París’ by Victor Hugo; Laura Rivas revisited Viktor Frankl, this time with ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’.
To conclude, PP councilors Jesús López Alonso read ‘Piropo a mi tierra’ by Esther Novalgos; Ángel Andrés read ‘Vida urbana’ by Jorge Guillén; and Rosa Fernández read ‘La fortuna de Matilda Turpin’ by the recently awarded Cervantes Prize winner Álvaro Pombo.
Vox councilor Patricia González-Lacarra chose the classic ‘Sobre la amistad’ by Cicerón; and to close the event, council chamber president Leonor González Menorca read a fragment from ‘El infinito en un junco’ by Irene Vallejo.
