With a theme of "Celebrating America's Stories," the 2004 National Book Festival began with an authors' program and reception in the Coolidge Auditorium and Great Hall on the evening of Oct. 8.
Librarian of Congess James Billington hosted the evening authors' program. - John Harrington
"The heart of the Library of Congress is still its books," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. He paid tribute to Thomas Jefferson, whose self-professed "canine appetite for reading" led him to build a personal library, which later formed the nucleus of the Library's collection.
Billington also thanked first lady Laura Bush, whom he called "the guiding spirit" of the National Book Festival, and the festival's charter sponsors—The Washington Post, AT&T, Target Stores and the Institute of Museum and Library Services—for their support in the effort to promote literacy.
"Writers are born free and should remain free," said author Azar Nafisi, quoting the Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov. "But what about millions of readers who are not free to read what they choose? Freedom of writing is dependent on freedom of reading," she said, praising the Library of Congress for its celebration of reading.
"The Library of Congress is the best representation of ‘the republic of the imagination,'" said Nafisi, referring to a fictional place in which she dwelled following the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) also focused on the subject of human rights in his memoir of the civil rights movement titled "Walking With the Wind."
"It's not just my story," said Lewis. "It's the story of thousands of ordinary people, black and white."
The title of Lewis' book comes from a personal experience he had as a young man, trying to keep his house from blowing away during a storm. He likens that storm to the civil rights movement: "We kept marching, walking with the wind, trying to hold the American house together," he said. "One people, one family, one house, the American house."
The evening included readings and presentations by (left) Azar Nafisi, Marc Brown, Sandra Brown and Rep. John Lewis, who read from his memoir of the civil rights movement. - John Harrington
On a lighter note, children's book illustrator Marc Brown, creator of the Arthur the Aardvark series, read a delightful story titled "Wild About Books" to the audience while his colorful images appeared on the monitor. In the story, all the animals at the zoo are so wild about books that they build a "zoobrary" to house their favorite stories.
On this perfect note, the fourth National Book Festival was launched.
