Literary Institutions
Original literature continues to be promoted by institutions such as the Eisteddfod in Wales or the Mod, in Scotland and by publishing organisations such as Ùr-sgeul, an independent publisher of new Scottish Gaelic prose and the Welsh Books Council. The Royal Society of Edinburgh icludes literature within its sphere of activiy. The imported eisteddfod tradition in the Channel Islands encouraged recitation and performance, a tradition that continues today.
Formed in 1949, the Cheltenham Literature Festival is the longest-running festival of its kind in the world. The Hay Festival in Wales attracts wide interest, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the world.
The Poetry Society publishes and promotes poetry, notably through an annual National Poetry Day. World Book Day is observed in Britain and Ireland and the Crown Dependencies on the first Thursday in March annually.
Read more about this topic: British Literature
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