An English Major’s Heaven in Latin America
One of the most head scratching
things for people when I told them I would be going to study in Buenos Aires for four months was the fact that I was
an English major (as well as a Spanish minor), and by the fact of living and studying daily in another language, I wouldn’t be taking any English
literature classes for a full semester. “Are
you sure you want to go for a semester, just to learn Spanish? That’s only your
minor.” Apart from the fact that Buenos
Aires (and Argentina in general) have influences from British culture, namely
in architecture and art, it also happens to be the city with the most book
stores per capita in the world.
That’s
simply astonishing, given the rapid rate in which digital consumption is
devouring the printed media. One of the most notable things in Buenos Aires
however, is the sheer prevalence of books (yes, physical, thumbed through, bound books) in the culture. On some blocks near the Plaza Italia for
instance, there are more than one bookstore next to each other, and on most
blocks there are more than one newsstand. Even more amazing is the vast and
diverse nature of printed books and reading material here. Books come in
Spanish, English, Russian and French. Literature, regardless of the language,
is enjoyed en masse in this city. It’s not uncommon to walk into any given
cafeteria in Buenos Aires and see young people socializing over coffee and
books, or to see someone reading international journals and reviews from France or Germany. The Paris of Latin America is indeed the book capital of the world.
Perhaps the
most famous bookstore in Buenos Aires resides inside a converted neo-classical theater.
El Ateneo is the dream of any book love and student of literature. I had been
in Buenos Aires three years past, and had always regretted the fact I had never
been able to visit it. To my excitement and surprise, I learned it was a near
five minutes from my apartment by walking. Needless to say, I have gone loads
of times, and each time, been astonished at how crowded it is and the energy
inside.
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| The second tier of the bookstore El Ateneo. |
For me,
this is one of the most spectacular things about this city. The other day, I
happened upon a used bookstore, that was so small you could only fit three to
four people inside comfortably at once. (This is notable not because it is
small or has inadequate stock, instead, it illustrates the demand and ability
for such niche and small shops to survive in the vast urban landscape). This
particular shop had sections entirely on Victorian interiors, Latin American
photography, and other off the beaten track genres. How refreshing to see a culture
and city that is so modern and developing grasp and cling to the long loved tradition
of print books.
Other shops combine cafeterias and book shops, especially in the cool neighborhood of Palermo. Here, young people go to relax over a new find in the book shop, enjoy a cortado (a particular argentine drink of expresso and foamed milk) and tune out from their daily lives.
Indeed it turned out to be an unlikely heaven for an English major. Buenos Aires is a city where, indeed, you can learn Spanish,
find books in English and French as well, and where the population, down to the
taxi drivers (one of which I had a wonderful conversation on Borges), has a
deep and intense love of literature. Buenos Aires is a city that takes pride in being a cultural jewel, and indeed it is evident in the way books and literature are beloved of everyone here, young and old.
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