Montevideo at first may seem like a surprising inclusion on the list of UNESCO Creative Cities of Literature. But look around and you will see that it is filled with books: grand libraries with carved stone exteriors and ornate wooden doors; bookshops with cool marble interiors, shelves stacked with books about the history of tango; ancient wooden shelves stuffed full of rare books, their musty smell a nostalgic presence; men laying out rows of books on sheets of cloth on the ground in Montevideo’s many plazas.
On reading into Montevideo’s place in the literary world, I was pleasantly surprised to read about the city’s initiatives for promoting literature and creative writing. It hosts an annual poetry festival (the Mundial Poético de Montevideo). It has a network of libraries with the specific aim of creating inclusive spaces where anybody can go to read. Uruguay’s literacy rate is almost one hundred percent.
If you are a bookworm visiting Montevideo, don’t miss these bookshops:
Librería Más Puro Verso
Step off the busy cobbled street outside and enter the coolness of Puro Verso. There, through an aisle between the books, is a white marble staircase which splits into two and ascends to a gallery edging the room. A stained-glass window illuminates a large, old-fashioned clock whose pointed hands tick around the Roman numerals on its face. All around are books on every subject – tango, Spanish classics, English classics translated into Spanish, the history of Uruguay, animals of South America, anything you like.
Librería Linardi Y Risso
Almost hidden away under some faded striped awning, Librería Linardi Y Risso is a quiet sanctuary. Entering it is almost like stepping back in time. The shelves are lined with rare and ancient books, some bound in red leather with gold lettering, some written about territories that no longer exist, some in numerous volumes. A spindly ladder stands at the ready, stretching up to the books on the shelves which nearly touch the ceiling.
If you are looking for something spontaneous, approach one of the men selling books in a more rudimentary way – laid out on a table or even on the ground in one of the small markets.
Finally, a word of warning to non-Spanish readers: although most Montevideans’ English is considerably better than my Spanish, English is not especially widely spoken here so you may struggle to find books in English. However, if you are looking to practise your Spanish reading then Montevideo is the literary location for you!