Círculo de Lectores Exhibition Opens In Madrid
For 51 years the Círculo de Lectores has been one of Spain’s most important cultural institutions. On 11 September, 1962 the first catalog of the oldest non-German language club was published and would fundamentally change not only the reading habits of many people in Spain but also make an important contribution to the country’s cultural development. In September 2012, the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Círculo de Lectores kicked off with a ceremony attended by the royal couple. In Madrid, an exhibition has now opened to mark the conclusion of the anniversary year; it will be on show until 2 March 2014.
"Le gusta leer?" ("Do you like reading?") is the slogan that introduced thousands of households to Círculo de Lectores for many years and is the title of the exhibition. It offers visitors a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the reading habits in Spain and the influence of literature on Spanish society over five decades. In addition, various books and magazines published by the Círculo de Lectores since 1962 as well as videos and photos of various events and representative figures of the club are shown.
During the opening of the exhibition at the Casa del Lector in Madrid, Joaquín Alvarez de Toledo, CEO of Círculo de Lectores, took stock of the work of the club: "Over the years," he said, "12 million Spanish households have been members of the club, and we have sold 300 million books." Álvarez de Toledo had words of gratitude to those who he qualified as "architects of the miracle": agents, promoters, partners and authors.
"Círculo has created thousands of family libraries, and that has shaped us as readers," said Isabel de Andrés, President of the Fundación Germán Sánchez Ruipérez, responsible for the Casa del Lector. "This exhibition is our tribute to Círculo de Lectores: enjoy the sweet taste of remembrance."
The opening ceremony brought together important personalities from the publishing world and culture such as César Antonio Molina, former Minister of culture and head of the Casa del Lector, and authors such as Javier Sierra and Carla Montero.
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Claire von Schilling
Penguin Random House, Executive Vice President, Director Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility Penguin Random House
