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Salinas Public Library and the Library of Alexandria Declare a Literary Peace
December 24, 2009 - Salinas, the City of Letters. Librarians across the world were stunned in November to receive news that the Salinas Public Library had challenged the library of another great City of Letters - the legendary Library of Alexandria in Egypt - to a literary duel through National Novel Writing Month. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina accepted Salinas' challenge on behalf of the novelists of Egypt, and the literary world held its breath as news of this international incident spread. Now, after 21 Salinas novelists wrote over half a million words in November, the two libraries have ended their dramatic literary competition - and declared a literary peace - as the Salinas Public Library and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina engage their citizens in a literary dialogue during the month of December. Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue and Deputy Librarian Maria Roddy met with Dr. Ismail Serageldin, the founder and Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, to cement the agreement.
In December, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina distributes one thousand copies of The Grapes of Wrath, in Arabic, as Alexandria participates in The Big Read. Throughout December, the Salinas Public Library and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina are engaging their citizens in an English-Arabic dialogue through Steinbeck's classic novel.
Congressman Sam Farr expressed his delight at the resolution of the international literary incident, saying, "Salinas is known internationally as the Salad Bowl of the World largely due to the great works of John Steinbeck. So I'm excited that Salinas and Alexandria, both cities brought to life through books, are using this great author to illustrate the power of literature. Steinbeck, who wrote so vividly about the ability of people to endure difficult times, is a perfect example of the influence of the written word."
In a further development, John Steinbeck's library issued a special Salinas Public Library card to Mr. Adel Ali Labib, the Governor of Alexandria, and Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue invited Governor Labib to join him in reading The Grapes of Wrath in December. The library checked out a copy of that novel to Governor Labib, renewable forever, and sent it to Alexandria as a diplomatic gift.
Following is the text of the Salinas Public Library's original challenge to the Mother of All Libraries, which was accepted by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and posted to its Facebook site:
Calling Alexandria's Someday Novelists: Salinas, California Challenges You!
Write a Novel in the Month of November!
Salinas California, City of Letters and Birthplace of John Steinbeck,
Challenges Alexandria, Egypt to a Literary Duel through NaNoWriMo
November, 2009 - In an act of irrational literary abandon, the Salinas Public Library has issued an international challenge to the Library of Alexandria, Egypt: Let the novelists of our cities of letters engage in a literary duel during the month of November as they strive to write a 50,000-word novel in one month. Why? Because the world needs more laughter, and everyone loves exploits of remarkable literary ambition. And because November is National Novel Writing Month, lovingly called "NaNoWriMo," when 100,000 people from the far corners of the earth will join in the spirit of daring and unlikely exploits. It is a month of brazen challenges, outsized claims, and international incidents of the literary kind. Join Us!
This is not so crazy! Salinas' native son John Steinbeck wrote his 454-page opus, The Grapes of Wrath, in five short months-at the rate of about 31,000 words per month. If you would like to embark on the most daring literary adventure of your life, sign up to take us on! This will connect you with a worldwide network of someday novelists, a high-humored bunch of writers who will tilt at anything. Particularly the novelists of Salinas, who can't wait to square off against the novelists of Alexandria. Go to www.nanowrimo.org.
www.salinaspubliclibrary.org
The Salinas Public Library. Come Get Us.
This literary incident has brought together two libraries with dramatic histories. The ancient Library of Alexandria, founded at the beginning of the third century BC, was the most famous library of the ancient world, charged with collecting all the world's knowledge. The original Library of Alexandria was partially destroyed on several occasions, and by the Middle Ages was the stuff of legend. In 2002, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina was inaugurated near the site of the ancient library, and now carries the tradition of the Library of Alexandria forward for future generations.
The Salinas Public Library, John Steinbeck's library in Salinas, California, received worldwide attention in 2005-06 when Salinas nearly became the first city in the United States to vote to close its library. An international uproar ensued: citizens, writers and celebrities worldwide mobilized to save the Salinas Public Library. This outcry demonstrated the critical importance of the Library in the life of the city, and when the citizens of Salinas passed ballot Measure V to support the library as part of essential city services, the story of the saving of the Salinas Public Library was heard around the world.
"The Salinas Public Library has much in common with the Library of Alexandria," said Elizabeth Martinez, Library Director of the Salinas Public Library. "Both libraries faced great challenges, and their demise was mourned across the world, but both libraries rose triumphantly to recreate themselves. The Salinas Public Library may be small, but it's resilient."
This program launches "Salinas: City of Letters," the second year of the collaborative programming presented by the Salinas Public Library and the National Steinbeck Center. This program is funded by a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and will include the Centennial year of the Salinas Public Library, founded in 1909, and celebrating its 100th birthday in fall 2009. www.salinaspubliclibrary.org
Submitted by Lori Wood
Salinas Public Library
The Salinas Public Library is an Institutional Member of CLA and directly supports our advocacy programs. Click here for more information on Institutional Membership.
Posted on December 24, 2009 8:42 AM | Permalink