On November 20, 1490, the first edition of "Tirant lo Blanc", the most important work of the Valencian writer Joanot Martorell, was published in Valencia. For this reason, every November 20, the Valencian Book Day is celebrated, an occasion to read books in our language.

In our libraries we have a wide variety of books in Valencian, both literary style and manuals and textbooks for study. We have selected a part of these books from our collection to show you some examples.

The celebration of the Valencian Book Day is a good reason to “enter” our literature, to get to know our writers and to become familiar with the books in Valencian: from Carles Salvador and Manuel Sanchis Guarner to Enric Valor; from Josep Pla, Joan Fuster, Vicent Andrés Estellés to Carme Miquel or Carmelina Sánchez-Cutillas. And also to discover the classics of our literature: Ausiàs March, Jaume Roig, Joan Timoneda, Jordi de San Jordi, Ramon Llull, or Sor Isabel de Villena. The latter is the main protagonist this year. The Historical Library wants to commemorate the celebration of the Valencian Book Day, with a virtual cultural activity in collaboration with the Nicolau Primitiu Valencian Library.

The activity consists of the collective reading of the work Vita Christi by Isabel de Villena, a key figure in religious literature and the first known female writer in Valencian. Throughout the day, videos of readers of the work will be published on the Facebook of the Historical Library. The work of the library in this activity is collected on the page Isabel de Villena: a woman of our time. With this activity, the library wants to bring Valencian society closer to the valuable bibliographic heritage that it guards, and to promote the knowledge of the work of the first and only writer in Valencian of our medieval letters, an intellectual from Valencia of the 15th century, also known like the Golden Age of Valencian letters. Isabel de Villena is also considered a woman ahead of her time. More than 100 people have participated in the reading, to feel Isabel de Villena more alive than ever. Among the participants, the rector of the University of Valencia, Mavi Mestre Escrivà, the Vice-rector for Culture and Sports Antonio Ariño, and the director of the Library Service, Victoria García Esteve.