“The Night of the Bookstores” summons a crowd in the center of Buenos Aires

During one of the last nights of summer, with an ideal temperature – a fresh breeze relieved the inhabitants after several days of oppressive heat – “bookstore nightchanged the landscape of a Saturday afternoon-night in the city of Buenos Aires. There Avenue Corrientesfrom Callao to Cerrito, has become an outdoor book fair where its emblematic bookstores have taken their copies to the streets to form a unique space for literature lovers. For a while it was truly “the street that never sleeps”.

“It’s an event that celebrates the book, the authors but above all the trade of the bookseller who is behind the counter all year round and it’s also like the revenge of analogue, because faced with the advance of digital of course the book on paper”, he said GlobeLiveMedia Culture The Minister Enrique Avogadrowhile walking mingled with the serene crowd that covered the street.

Officially, an estimated projection has been reported that, until 1 a.m. on Sunday, some 95,000 people are marching down Corrientes Street. “Right now, the flow of sales is significantly higher compared to a normal weekend, increasing between 30% and 100%, and in some cases tripling billing,” reports a press source from the Buenos Aires Cultural Portfolio. .

bookstore party

The booksellers played a very important role: everyone was ready to talk, recommend and help interested people. These were relaxed discussions, unlike day-to-day shopping where customers don’t have time to visit places. In some cases, impromptu debates have been created about certain authors and their best works where the same patrons have come around and exchanged ideas.

The smell of new books mixed with used ones created an inimitable atmosphere that invited visitors to enter the premises, leaf through the books, read the back covers and even ask questions of a person who loves his job. and knows the copies better than anyone. .what’s in your business, proving that there’s something special about face-to-face transactions that can never replace electronic sales.

These conversations carried over to bars in the area where some have also extended their hours so visitors can take a break and eat something delicious or just rest their legs after hours of travelling.

This year, the focus was on 40 years of the return of democracy in Argentina, then most of his interviews were oriented towards this theme, which sought to create a space where debate on the experience and the needs of the democratic exercise. They stood at each of the bends where a kind of living room was formed that created bubbles inviting reflection and debate, away from the noise caused by the enormous number of people coming and going along the circuit.

It was this opportunity, after several years, almost no jugulars were seen, there were no restrictions of any kind, and the unique spectacle could be fully enjoyed. The exits and entrances to the theaters were also conducive to many curious people to come and see what was going on and buy a book, one of those promises of reading that were made in the summer and have not yet materialized. Bags of all sizes loaded with books to offer or afford, some families came with lists of copies requested in schools or their own lists of recommendations.

There were also spaces for the little ones, who threaded their way through the aisles of bookstores to choose their favorite authors or simply marvel at the colorful covers. They were able to take advantage of drawing spaces, where they staged their favorite characters, as well as reading.

One of the most heard comments is that of those who approached the street of currents and they said they had not visited him for a long time. They were surprised by the changes it has undergone, such as the creation of a pedestrian zone or the reopening of certain classic bars, such as the The Opera oh The Giralda which were closed for a time. Many nostalgics remembered the days of the 80s when a similar atmosphere was experienced with bars and bookstores open until late hours when it was a meeting place for writers, poets, musicians and politicians.

In the space dedicated to the “media and democracy” discussion, the moderator Patrick Zounini spoke with Juan Di Natale, Hinde Pomeraniec and Bobby Flores. The trigger was which stage had been the most difficult to work through in these 40 years of democracy. Hinde Pomeranian He opined that today is a complex time to work and express oneself on social media. He also expressed the view that they are a “very useful communication tool” (he underlined the key role they played during the creation of the “Not one less”). But he also said that any message or post that refers to something social or political is questioned and may result in cancellation. He also regretted the number of dear people who left the networks for these reasons and concluded, “During the 40 years, journalism has always been under some pressure from a government or an official.”

For its part, Juan Di Natale He pointed out that the advantage of this era is that readers know the editorial lines of each media. And he said that now it’s more explicit whereas before it was something that was hidden. He also specified that “journalists must be separated from the media where they work”. And regarding networks, he remarked: “You have to live shielded so that the number of attacks circulating does not affect you.” On the same subject, Bobby Flores He blamed certain networks like Twitter where “anonymity and ignorance” thrive. He considered this to be what drew some people out of them.

One of the most frequented salons was that of “Three friends and the story of an erawhere they participated Claudia Pineiro, Almada Jungle, Deborah Mundani and was moderated by the journalist mercedes warps. There, the three authors agreed that when you are female, you get more questions than your male peers. pineyro She says she was asked several times if she was a mother enough to talk about motherhood and for her part, Almada Jungle she recalled that in launching her book Elviento que rarasa she had to submit to the critical eye of a male journalist who argued that as a feminist she was leaving women in such a bad light, since their protagonists abandoned their children. “It seems feminists can’t be wrong and we have no right to misbehave,” Funes concluded.

To end an excellent day, there was a space for the cinema and it was possible to take advantage of a free function of Argentina, 1985of Santiago Miter, at El Cultural San Martín, one of the spaces that have joined this movement. For some it was the first time they saw it and others saw it again to accompany friends or enjoy it on the big screen. Applause closed the prosecutor’s speech Julius Caesar Strasserainterpreted by Ricardo Darin.

For its part, on the Estela Figueroa stage, the conversation took place “The trial of the Planks. The power of words and images», coordinated by the journalist Maria O’Donnell. He had the participation of Ricardo Gil Lavedrawho just edited the book The Brotherhood of Astronauts, where he recounts in the first person his role as judge in the Trial of the Boards; and the critic and filmmaker Sergio Wolfwho ran It’s not a success», a documentary that chronicles the events of Holy Week in 1987, when Colonel Aldo Rico led a military uprising that put the government of Raul Alfonsin. There, the most applauded part was when Gil Lavedra told how they had decided to bring the trial videos to the meetings under the protection of Norway, so that the evidence would not be lost. “In Norway, we were received as heroes,” said the lawyer.

On the Vlady Kociancich stage, another of the encounters that had great success was the live performance of “Poetry on your sofa”, the poetry reading and recitation cycle that brought together on this occasion Mercedes Romero Russian, Maia Tarcic, Nina Ferrari, Marthe Mega, Unai Rivas Campos, Fernando Bogado there Cinnamon. the host was Thomas Rosner. In turn, for the youngest there was a space where, in addition to reading, they could enjoy a DJ set with Rodri Videla and Emiliata and there were workshops on graphic art, screen printing, posters and printed art, with the live plastic intervention of two enormous urns. .

The sunset panorama of Corrientes included hundreds of people looking for a spot to sit and browse what they had purchased. An image that repeated itself at nearby bus stops, where for a few moments passengers abandoned their mobile phones to immerse themselves in reading books.

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