- Argentina - Portal público de noticias de la República Argentina.
If you know how to explore it, Buenos Aires holds a thousand and one surprises... An architecture fan looking for untouched gems will be amazed by structures that remain unchanged in the midst of the staggering progress of a city both modern.
Equally surprised will be those who love books of all shapes and sizes. In Buenos Aires you can find old editions, rare and out-of print books, as well as manuscripts and texts in a number of languages that, in earlier centuries, were brought over from Europe by immigrants.
Indeed, due to this combination of architectural heritage and culture, the English newspaper The Guardian placed the Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore second on a list of the ten most beautiful bookstores in the world.
If in a different medium, stories still reach out to the public in a building where, years ago, audiences enjoyed the best in cinema. With its striking façade, the Grand Splendid bookstore invites passersby to delve into the world of books.
In the mid-20th century, the Ateneo Grand Splendid’s building housed one of the most important theaters in Buenos Aires. Its bright, luxurious interior and the preservation of its theatrical appearance seduce any and all visitors.
The Guardian emphasized the bookstore’s splendor, painted dome, original balconies and decoration. It was particularly impressed by the way the curtain had been preserved and by the theater boxes, which are now used as reading rooms. Furthermore, now the leading players on the stage –currently an attractive bar–are the readers and the small tables brimming with coffee and piles of books to be browsed before they are purchased.
"If something new had not occurred, I would still be wondering where the story of Adso of Melk originated; but then, in 1970, in Buenos Aires, as I was browsing among the shelves of a little antiquarian bookseller on Corrientes, not far from the more illustrious Patio del Tango of that great street, I came upon the Castilian version of a little work by Milo Temesvar". Preface to The Name of the Ro
Just as the Ateneo Gran Splendid bookstore on the elegant Avenida Santa Fe is a must for anyone interested in the city’s cultural heritage, the librerías de viejo, or used bookstores, on Avenida de Mayo, will satisfy the intimate longings of anyone who stops by.
On weekends, inexpensive books can be found in long rows of outdoor stalls. The most famous of these book markets are in Parque Centenario, Parque Rivadavia, Plaza Lavalle and Plaza Italia.
Buenos Aires has a long book tradition. It has never lost its reputation as the capital of Spanish-language publishing, which it earned in the 20th century. Indeed, the city’s book tradition has been noted by major writers, like Umberto Eco, author of the classic The Name of the Rose.
