We are approaching the 400th anniversary of the death of two of the world’s most influential authors: William Shakespeare and Miguel Cervantes. Legend has it that both of them died on the same day: April 22nd, 1616 (though people often forget that at the time of their death, Spain and England used different calendars…but we can keep that a secret for now). As a result, today we celebrate “Book Day” on April 22nd.
Over the coming week, we will be posting some interesting articles, videos, and pictures that tell us more about who these men were, why their works were so important, and what life was like when they were alive.
To start, check out this article from the Guardian that shows images of an engraving made by the artist Claes Jansz Visscher in 1616 depicting the city of London. Visscher finished the engraving in the year of Shakespeare’s death, and this year, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, artist Robin Reynolds has updated the classic engraving to show views of present-day London. Use the sliders to move between the old images and the new ones to get an idea of what has changed, and what has remained the same.
Clara Campoamor in Mostoles 