Argentina celebrates Reader’s Day in honor of Jorge Luis Borges

The El Libro Foundation and the Argentine Society of Writers (SADE), with the support of Celulosa Argentina, will carry out a special action that day to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the birth of the great Argentine writer: they will give away more than 300 thousand postcards with poems by established and contemporary Argentine authors throughout almost the entire country.

In General Villegas, the Cuentacuenteros institution is part of the celebrations. The group of storytellers promotes reading in all its facets and platforms, with motivation for children, young people, adults and seniors. Since 2014 and up to the present, the Villeguense group marks a legacy.

Miriam Santiago, a member of the group, shared her feelings about this date: “There is no one who can resist a book. Reading is a one-way street. There is no reader who doesn’t have a path. It’s great. Someone always picks up a book. Every person in the universe has read something at some point.”

In this sense, she commented on what reading means to her: “It awakens fantasy and imagination. It allows us to be more critical. When one reads, one is not the same person. There is something that transforms. Reading passes through. It does not make us better or worse, but it allows us to live other lives. It is good to read. As a teacher, librarian and member of Cuentacuenteros, I always want to leave a path. You have to sow the seed for future generations. I read for myself. But I want to spread it to the rest.”

She also talked about how this passion for her life emerged: “There were always books in my house. But I became a reader through a mediator. I had a librarian who opened our minds. Having a good reading mediator is excellent. She was Raquel Zulema Piña. When I entered the library, she infected me with the desire to read. She was the one who marked me.”

On the other hand, he referred to the denomination of reading and its scope: «The mind brings and needs a book sooner or later. That opens the mind. All of us who have read at some point are readers. That includes everyone who picks up a book. Each person, as they read, defines their tastes. The person who has the habit reads from any platform.»

He then agreed with the possibilities offered by electronic reading, because “a person reads online, perhaps because he cannot afford to buy a book.” He added: “I think it is very important. The platform does not matter. There are places where they do not have access to a library, much less a book. If someone wants to read, they can do so, regardless of the medium.”

However, on a personal level, she chose the book in paper format: “It is not the same pleasure when you touch the book, the touch and the smell. The other is cold. I maintain that there are good things and not so good things in technology. I am not opposed to that at all, because of the opportunities it brings us.”

One of the most important issues for Miriam is the “seed” in children: “They are motivated by example. If a teacher likes to read and is contagious, that awakens curiosity in the child. They will ask, look and observe, because they are curious. That starts the path. And if there is a library in the school, even better. The important thing is reading out loud, where one puts one’s voice, gesture and even silences. It is fundamental for children. No one refuses to read.”

Regarding the date, Miriam stressed the importance of Jorge Luis Borges, who was being honoured: “Talking about him means standing up. More than a writer, he was a good reader. That’s what happens. One goes from reading to writing. Then one goes to speaking. We always follow that path, without comparing ourselves to Borges.”

Celebration for 10 years of life

On June 5, Cuentacuenteros celebrated its tenth anniversary. As every year, a storytelling show will be presented. It will be on October 18, even though there is no venue for the event. Everyone who was once part of the institution will be part of the event.

In this context, Miriam expressed her expectations: “We will tell stories. We will not do readings aloud. It will be about oral storytelling. They will have a lot of fun, because we are totally renewed. We want people to be surprised. They will have a great time.”