Penki TV producer July Usova (left) with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite during the official event dedicated to Christmas of Books campaign

On January 16 participants and partners of the fourth annual Knygų Kalėdos (Christmas of Books) campaign initiated by Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite gathered to celebrate its successful results. They were awarded with special certificates of appreciation; according to the president the Christmas of Books campaign has become a movement that brings the people of Lithuania together. “It is important that this year the campaign helped to enrich local libraries and spread the Lithuanian word to places where it is essential to foster our language. Also the Vilnius district libraries organized readings of works of Lithuanian authors. Book has become a meaningful, sincere and public-spirited gift”, the president said.

One of the campaign’s information sponsors, Penki Kontinentai group and its Knygos per Penki TV (Books on Penki TV) received the certificate of appreciation for cooperation as well. The Books on Penki TV team provided video coverage of the entire campaign, authors and their books and held discussions on literary issues.

According to the Knygos per Penki TV producer Julija Usova, the Christmas of Books campaign offers a great opportunity to promote book reading. “We were glad to take part in the Christmas of Books contributing to foster reading culture. Our team visited and interviewed authors of the most wanted books, such as Galina Dauguvietyte, Edmundas Malukas and Algimantas Zurba, disclosed the situation regarding publishing of educational children’s books and books for children with special needs, spoke with Grazina Sviderskytė, a journalist and author of the book about famous Lithuanian pilots Darius and Girenas”, Ms Usova said.

The Christmas of Books traveled throughout Lithuania and helped to raise 40 thousand new books for local libraries. Generous Lithuanians donated over 25 thousand books by Lithuanian authors, some of which went to Lithuanian schools in Belarus, Poland, Latvia and Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast. Furthermore, the idea was backed by foreign embassies, cultural institutions, business and public organizations, publishers and authors.

More about the Knygų Kalėdos campaign: www.knygukaledos.lt.

You will find the archive of shows of Knygos per Penki TV here.