As a librarian and a lifelong reader I have frequented bookstores all my life. However, never have I been to two such unique ones as I spent time in today in downtown Buenos Aires. I had read that Argentina is a very literate country where reading is still popular and that is confirmed simply by noticing all the bookstores everywhere you go in this city.
First, we went to El Ateneo, marketed as the largest bookstore in South America. It was started 11 years ago in a refurbished theater on fashionable Avenida Santa Fe about six blocks from our apartment. You enter what was once the foyer of the theater where they now have current book displays and checkout desks on either side where there were ticket booths. The main floor of the bookstore is where the orchestra seats would have been and as you look up you can see three levels of balconies and an enormous, beautifully painted rotunda ceiling. All is as it would be if you were at the opera or theater except that the main floor is furnished with book cases and neat signs indicating what subject areas you are in. Straight in front of you is the stage which has been left completely as it was, and now is a cafe serving snacks and drinks and coffees. On either side of the stage are boxes where you might have paid extra to sit close and watch a performance. Today you can pick up a stack of books and settle yourself comfortably in a box seat to read as long as you like.
We headed up the steps of the stage and settled at a small wooden table. A waiter came to take our order for two cafes con leche. This gave us time to simply sit and look all around and marvel at the environment we found ourselves in. Two small coffees came right away served with a light wafer and two glasses of water. The facade of the balconies is quite elaborately sculptured with lots of gold trim. I noticed several large banners hanging from the third balcony answering some of the questions that immediately come to mind when you come to this bookstore. One banner said Desde el 2000 este local realiso 12.000.000 de visitas. ( Since 2000 there have been 12 million visitors to this location. Another banner read, El Guardian selcciono esta libreria como una de las mas lindas del mundo. (The Guardian chose this bookstore as one of the most beautiful in the world.)
One banner read, Carlos Gardel hizo sus grabaciones en este lugar. (Carlos Gardel made his first recordings in this place). And finally another banner listed the most popular items purchased in the past ten years which included El codigo Da Vinci (The DaVinci Code), 40 obras de Piazzola (40 works by Piazzola) and El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in their Eyes, a popular Argentine crime thriller than won Best Foreign Film of 2009).
After coffee we went up to the second balcony to find textbooks on one side and specialized nonfiction books such as gardening, science and other such topics on the other. Climbing the wide winding and carpeted staircase to the third balcony brought us to a huge collection of DVD films on one side and CD classical music on the other. From the third balcony you can look down and get an aerial view of the entire bookstore and it's simply magnificent. Looking down I realized there is a level below the main floor and before leaving we went to explore that. An escalator in the center of the bookstore takes you to the lower level which is called "Ateneo Junior" which is the Childrens' and Young Adult departments as well as popular music CD's. The Childrens' section was very large and beautifully decorated with a three dimensional mural covering three walls with all kinds of wild animals painted in bright colors. The floor is carpeted in a a light blue A,B,C, carpet with letters of the alphabet. It is as inviting as any children's department of any new large public library or big bookstore in the U.S.
Back on the main floor we were drawn to a display of tango CD's near the front entrance and found we could choose several, go to a kiosk, scan the bar code, put on headphones and listen, before we chose one to buy. It all worked beautifully. I noticed plenty of people working in the bookstore that were extremely helpful. There are no prices on most of the books. To verify the price of anything there are automated computers with bar code scanners. You simply scan the bar code of the your book to get the price in pesos. We tore ourselves away after several hours of browsing having picked up a CD of tango music and an illustrated little gem of a book in Spanish about the history of the bandoneon and the tango in Argentina. I do have my eye on some other things but luckily we have lots of time to go back again.
Two blocks away from El Ateneo on the busy Avenida Callao is another gem of a bookstore called Clasica y Moderna but it is totally different. We almost walked past it until we stopped at a large dark wooden door. We expected to step in to a book shop but instead found ourselves in a charming restaurant with tiled floors and brick walls, neat small tables with white tablecloths and napkins, and a grand piano in a corner with an older man playing tango music. In back of the restaurant is a glassed in two story area where we found a small but wonderful book shop of only literary and political books for adults.
As it was one o'clock which is early lunchtime in Argentina, we decided to order lunch and savor this totally different venue. A waiter seated us and brought us the menu. The fixed menu ejecutivo of an appetizer, main course, dessert or coffee was priced at 42 pesos which is $10.50 US . It turned out to be one of the best meals we've eaten in Buenos Aires starting with slices of onion and ham and cheese quiche, followed by juicy baked chicken with a white potato and a baked sweet potato. For dessert we chose helados de Sambayon and Frutilla or sambayon (a liquor) and strawberry ice cream. As we sat and leisurely enjoyed it all, the 20 or so tables filled up quickly with two waiters were efficiently handling them all. The pianist continued playing without taking a break.
I like the way Argentines stop for a long leisurely lunch and that has become our custom here in Buenos Aires. We noticed tables of well dressed women having a luncheon together with a bottle of wine and other tables with men in suits taking a lunch break from work. I can't help but notice the waiters in this country. As I have mentioned before, it's a men's profession but I have never been waited on with such efficiency, politeness, and confidence. It is considered a profession here and most men that do it for a lifetime and take the job very seriously.
After lunch we explored the bookstore for a short while and learned that what the Clasico y Moderno is noted for is the evening entertainment. Every evening starting around 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. you can book a table to go hear a particular entertainer at this small restaurant. I learned that you buy a ticket to reserve a table and then you must spend a minimum amount either for a dinner or perhaps for drinks or even coffee and dessert. They feature Argentine singers, as well as small groups playing music. We may do that one evening if we can stay up that late!
We came home after lunch for siesta time enchanted by the two different bookstores we had visited. Opening the daily newspaper La Nacion today there was yet another article about the Nobel Prize Winner, Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Lllosa. He has been in the news this past week as he has been asked to be the keynote speaker at the largest Argentine Book Fair which opens in April. Llosa comments in this article that "Buenos Aires, es con Paris, la ciudad mas literaria del mundo. (Buenos Aires, along with Paris, is the most literary city in the world).
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