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Rio City Hall presents official brand of Rio World Book Capital
Published on 11/04/2025 - 14:48 | Updated on 11/04/2025 - 15:39
The Protocol of Intentions was also signed and the event calendar was presented - Beth Santos/City Hall The Rio de Janeiro City Hall, through the Municipal Department of Culture, launched this Friday (11/04), at the Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, the official brand of Rio de Janeiro, the World Book Capital — a title granted to the city by UNESCO. The visual identity was chosen by the Brazilian Academy of Letters from among 21 proposals by Rio de Janeiro designers, approved by the City Hall and created to represent the relevance of the event in an iconic and timeless way. The brand combines visual and cultural elements of Rio de Janeiro with the world of literature.
During the event, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Federal Government, formalizing the Ministry of Culture's support for the initiative. The document establishes the exchange of information, data and mapping for the joint development of programs in the areas of education, books and reading. The signing was carried out by Mayor Eduardo Paes and the Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes. Also participating in the ceremony were the president of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, Merval Pereira, and the municipal secretary of Culture, Lucas Padilha.
– Rio is a book without an end point. Here, stories come true and realities are surpassed. Dreams and apotheosis are popular topics – and serious matters. Throughout this year, we will work even harder for the culture of books and reading, translating more and better public policies in the areas of culture and education. In a year’s time, we will see that it was well worth it to be the World Book Capital – declared Mayor Eduardo Paes in his speech.
The Minister of Culture then highlighted that the title of World Book Capital granted to Rio by UNESCO is a historic milestone for Brazilian culture.
– This is the first time that a Portuguese-speaking city has received this honor. On behalf of the Ministry of Culture and President Lula, we celebrate Rio as the birthplace of great literary voices and a symbol of the diversity that makes up Brazil – said Minister Margareth Menezes.
After the presentation of the new brand, Lucas Padilha released to the press the official schedule for Rio's World Book Capital, with a calendar full of events and actions aimed at promoting reading and strengthening public policies in the sector.
Among the highlights of the agenda are the Book Biennial, which promises to be the largest in the country's history, and a special edition of the Jabuti Award, held for the first time in Rio de Janeiro.
The program also includes activities at the Libraries of Tomorrow, visits to municipal libraries, exhibitions at museums in the network, literary cafés, poetry readings, actions in bookstores and literary fairs, as well as cultural interventions at the city's main public transport terminals.
The Ministry of Culture also announced that there will be more than 50 direct beneficiaries of national policies to promote culture. Among the key actions, the projects Noite com Livros, Book Parade Rio 2025, Rio de Livros and Academia Editorial Jr. were announced.
In terms of international relations, actions are also planned, such as the donation of books by embassies and consulates, the adoption of “Libraries of Tomorrow” by partner countries, the exchange of public policies with other World Book Capitals, the participation of foreign authors and cultural agents, and bilingual translations and reissues with the RCML seal.
– Today, at the Royal Portuguese Reading Room, this box of books and music, we present to the world the brand that seals a historic moment: Rio de Janeiro UNESCO World Book Capital 2025. An unprecedented title for a Portuguese-speaking city, which celebrates the strength of living literature in the favelas, in slam battles, in samba-enredo, in the National Library and in the Brazilian Academy of Letters. The new brand — the hill, the book and the seagull heading towards apotheosis — symbolizes this literary and cultural journey that is all ours – highlighted the municipal secretary of Culture, Lucas Padilha.
Literary Box of the Portuguese Language
During the launch, a video was shown about the “Rivers of the Word” event, held in Lisbon on April 8, which marked the official start of the Rio de Janeiro World Book Capital agenda. The event, held at the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, had as its highlight the presentation of the Literary Box of the Portuguese Language — a collection of classic and contemporary works selected by Portuguese-speaking countries such as Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and East Timor. The initiative symbolizes the support of the Portuguese-speaking community for Rio de Janeiro as the World Book Capital.
The Literary Box was also presented during the ceremony at the Royal Portuguese Reading Room. Throughout the year, new Brazilian works will be added to the collection through competitions, festivals and awards. The idea is to incorporate this initiative into the official programming of future UNESCO World Book Capitals, with Rio de Janeiro assuming a leading role in promoting Portuguese-language literature.
Official opening ceremony
The official opening of Rio de Janeiro's World Book Capital will take place on April 23 at the Carlos Gomes Theater. An artistic show will celebrate the beginning of the literary year in the city, paying tribute to great names in Brazilian literature and highlighting the works of Caixa Literária. The ceremony will be attended by authorities, representatives of UNESCO and important names in national culture.
About the title Rio World Book Capital
The title of World Book Capital was granted by UNESCO to Rio de Janeiro in recognition of the excellence of the reading promotion programs developed in the city, and was announced by Mayor Eduardo Paes in 2024. Due to this achievement, the city will have a broad agenda of events and initiatives aimed at formulating new public policies for books and reading, with the support of the main entities in the Brazilian publishing market.
The Rio de Janeiro World Book Capital program also includes actions aimed at the economic development of the sector and the valorization of the book production chain. Since August 2024, the City Hall has invested around R$5,1 million in public notices aimed at holding literary fairs, training writers, promoting Brazilian literature and encouraging authors from Rio de Janeiro.
Rio de Janeiro is already home to key literary events, such as the Rio International Book Biennial, the Literary Fair of the Suburbs (FLUP), the Reader's Festival and the Passion of Reading Festival. The city is also home to nationally and internationally renowned institutions, such as the Royal Portuguese Reading Room, the National Library, the Brazilian Academy of Letters, the National Union of Book Publishers, the Rui Barbosa House, the City's General Archives and the Escrevivências House (Conceição Evaristo). Rio is also home to important agents in the publishing market and some of the country's largest publishers.
