To open a book is an act that could change lives. Among the early progenitors of the book were the Egyptians who decided to write on papyrus for ideas to proliferate. Eventually, in the course of our history, symbols became words that were written down for communication and posterity’s sake. The Lord wrote and must have used elegant thunder strokes to inscribe the commandments that were carried by Moses (tablets were already the device of choice) for the Israelites to follow. Moving forward with Guttenberg’s printing breakthrough that further unleashed the power of the written word that awakened nations. Revolutions, reforms, and various stages of enlightenment happened in the course of our history. These glorious events are still happening in the minds of modern-day readers that are jolted with knowledge and creativity. All thanks to the simple act of opening a book.
Books, of the controversial kind, were one of the incendiary materials that sparked the Philippine Revolution of 1896. We all know the effects of Rizal’s novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in the course of our history, and we can still feel its effects now. Again, fast track from the publication of Rizal’s El Fili in 1891 and moving on to 2012; the country’s literacy rate was at 95.7% (71st out of 184, United Nations Development Programme-2011). But does this figure reflect the whole spectrum of our habits as readers? It could all end in shame once we find out the truth that we don’t even bother fiddling through the scores of our great symphony of local literature. Our National Hero must be weeping for his fellowmen’s lack of knack for reading, and he is a novelist, above all, and it goes beyond all his polymath glory.
Maybe a trip to the 33rd Manila International Book Fair will change perceptions on that. 33 years is a long time for a book fair to be running. It has been logging in the most mileage in the Asian circuit of book fairs, by the way. And when there are books, there will be definitely booklovers squiggling and scouting early and eagerly for good finds. Don’t count out the curious ones who will be uncovering a world of limitless possibilities once they start getting hooked on books. Last year’s attendance was mammoth, 85,000 to be exact marched to the SMX Convention Center to have an encounter with thousands of local and international books. This year’s attendance should prove to be more staggering.
So the question can finally be answered, yes, we do read. But what do we read? It can be said this way, we eat but what kind of food do we consume? The nourishment taken in is of vital importance. To go malnourished in the mental arena is an implication that we have to consume more and more of the healthy stuff. This kind of consumption of knowledge in books is not that dreadful, for reading never led to obesity.
This year’s 33rd installment of the Manila International Book Fair will be happening on September 12 to 16 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, 10am to 8pm.
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