Book fair

Today I went to the 33rd International Book Fair of Buenos Aires, held at an enormous exposition center near Plaza Italia in Palermo. For me, it was a very convenient location, less than a 10 minute walk from my apartment. Buenos Aires is a city of book readers, as evidenced by the profusion of librerías (bookstores) in every neighborhood. This fair draws not only the local book lovers but readers, sellers, distributors, and publishers from all over Latin America.

There were 4 main exhibit halls in use for the fair, each one a colossal building. I didn't even try to count the number of exhibitors but I'm sure it was many hundreds. Every niche possible was represented, from scientific tomes to comic books. Along with the many booths and books, the fair presents numerous lectures, children's actitivies, readings, book signings by authors, and much more. I was hoping to find some English-language books for recreational reading, since reading in Spanish is more work than pleasure for me. I didn't find any but it's probably because after about 4 hours I grew fatigued and left, having seen perhaps only half of the fair.

However, I did pick up a few books in Spanish. One is all about the historic cafés of downtown Buenos Aires, including the well-known Café Tortoni, the first coffeehouse in Argentina. Those who know me know that coffee is my passion so I'm thrilled to have this book. Another one I bought is a Spanish translation of The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. It's one of the most intriguing books I've ever read (in English, of course!) and one of these days I'll feel confident enough in my Spanish to tackle this version.

For visitors to BA who can't be here for the annual book fair, I recommend strolling down Avenida Corrientes toward downtown. It's lined with small bookshops, new and used. Also highly recommended is El Ateneo on Avenida Sante Fe near Callao. It's an amazing place not just for its huge inventory of books but also for its architecture. It was originally a theater in the grand old tradition and the bookstore owners preserved and restored as much as possible when they converted it to its current use. Click the link to view the pictures and you'll see what I mean.