SHOTLIST:

1. Various of bookstores in Buenos Aires
2. SOUNDBITE: MARIANO ALMEYDA, bookseller
3. Various of the El Ateneo library with drone
4. Various of bookstores in Buenos Aires
5. SOUNDBITE: ALEJANDRO OCHOA, bookseller
6. Various of bookstores in Buenos Aires

STORYLINE:

With its 2.8 million inhabitants, Buenos Aires has approximately 25 bookstores for every 100,000 people according to a study by the World Cities Forum, which positions it as 1 of the 5 countries with the most bookstores in the world and the main one in Latin America. According to the same study, Buenos Aires has 734 bookstores.

But beyond the statistics, the bookstores are part of the DNA of Buenos Aires, characterized by their piles of used and old copies, where one can get lost for hours, in a practice that has a lot to do with Argentines and is clearly expressed in its cultural expression par excellence: the tango.

Because just like when we talk about tango, talking about Buenos Aires bookstores is also talking about nostalgia, because they sell not only books, but also memories and smells of the past.

It is that books, like songs, sometimes stick to moments in our lives, things that we live and that we will forever associate with reading.

"Let others boast of the pages they have written; I am proud of the ones I have read”, wrote Jorge Luis Borges in his poem 'A reader', thus the master of Argentine letters, with one of his many immortal lines, made clear the importance of reading, not only for him, but for the Argentines.

However, the pandemic seems to have dealt a severe blow to Buenos Aires bookstores, both due to the 234 days of quarantine that Argentina endured during 2020, and due to the lack of tourists.

Because although electronic commerce, through e-commerce platforms and social networks, is a way used by large bookstore chains, the smallest are characterized by direct sales, and many times, the reader does not know what they are looking for until who finds it. Diving among books is a hobby for Argentines.

“Bookstores are going through the worst crisis in their history, with great difficulty they survived the hyperinflation of 1989, the crisis of 2001 and the inflation of recent years, but the coronavirus pandemic caused a drop in sales of 70% compared to the same period last year and the economic impact makes its commercial activity unsustainable, ”said the Argentine Chamber of Libraries (CAPLA) in a recent statement.

Mariano Almeyda, owner of one of the historic bookstores on Corrientes Street in Buenos Aires said that "As the whole economy in general is complicated (during the quarantine) we had to work a lot with the virtual, with platforms, Mercado Libre, Facebook"

In the downtown streets that surround half-empty skyscrapers, the signs for rent of shops multiply. The pandemic devoured popular bars and restaurants, clothing stores and also many bookstores, many of which had survived the repeated economic crises in Argentina.

In relation to the damage caused by the pandemic, Alejandro Ochoa, one of the most recognized booksellers on Corrientes Street, recounts the problems the sector is going through: “the pandemic has wreaked havoc, but we continue to fight, the bookstores are a family , I hope we continue for a long time, it would be a pity that we are not, because this is part of a country, of society, it is to continue to have your eyes open, a book wakes you up and opens your head to a lot of things ”.

Equal and different in the imagination of writers and readers, Buenos Aires is read in its streets and buildings, and it is left to travel in indelible pages.

SOUNBITE: MARIANO ALMEYDA, bookseller
"As the whole economy in general is complicated (during the quarantine) we had to work a lot with the virtual, with platforms, Mercado Libre, Facebook".

SOUNBITE: MARIANO ALMEYDA, librero
"Como toda la economía en general está complicado (durante la cuarentena) tuvimos que trabajar mucho con lo virtual, con plataformas, Mercado Libre, Facebook"

SOUNDBITE: ALEJANDRO OCHOA, bookseller
"The pandemic has wreaked havoc, but we continue to fight, the bookstores are a family, I hope we continue for a long time, it would be a pity if we are not here, because this is part of a country, of society, it is to continue to eyes open, a book wakes you up and opens your head to a lot of things”.

SOUNDBITE: ALEJANDRO OCHOA, librero
“la pandemia ha hecho estragos, pero seguimos en la lucha, las librerías son una familia, ojalá que sigamos por mucho tiempo más, sería una lástima que no estemos, porque esto es parte de un país, de la sociedad, es continuar para tener los ojos abiertos, un libro te despierta y te abre la cabeza para un montón de cosas”.