Summertime in Cuba: Book Night

Havana, Jul 1. -Book Night kicks off Friday in main squares throughout Havana and the country''s provincial capitals with a variety of literary and artistic offers.

Readers and writers of all ages will participate in this event, which includes book readings, tributes, literary gatherings and book launches, as well as concerts and film screenings.

This is a night to which many look forward, and it begins at 14:00 hours local time.

"It is a unique opportunity for young people and the people as a whole to learn more about our cultural heritage", said Aida Bahr, vice president of the Cuban Book Institute (ICL).

As on previous occasions, the fair will include the popular stand of rare and used books at Havanaâ�Ös Pabellon Cuba cultural complex.

The Casa de la Americas cultural center will present poetry books like "El cristal entre la luz" of Manuel Orestes Nieto (Panama), winner of the 2010 Jose Lezama Lima Poetry Prize, and "Cronicas de muertes dudosas" by Bruno Di Benedetto (Argentina), winner of the 2010 Casa de las Americas Literary Award.

Flor Nodal, sales director of the publishing house Gente Nueva, which specializes in literature for children and adolescents, pointed to the anthology Coleccion 21, which compiles works, mostly poetry, by contemporary Cuban and foreign authors.

Book Night events also include the screening of the film Jose Marti y el ojo del canarioâ�Ö (Jose Marti and the Canaryâ�Ös Eye) by Fernando Perez, and concerts by renowned popular artists like Tony Avila, Dayami Lozano and David Torrens. (Prensa Latina)