Santorini | 4. Romance in a Bookshop
Posted: June 2, 2012 Filed under: Greece, Posts in English, Travel | Tags: book, bookshop, bookstore, reading, santorini, story, Travel 31 Comments »Wherever I go, I always find myself being drawn by tiny old-looking bookshop. Of course, gigantic bookstores like Kinokuniya or Taipei’s 7-storey high Eslite are amazing and jaw-dropping. But there’s always something romantic about a small bookshop. You can sense this personal touch, you can more or less gauge the characteristics of the owner. All the things he/she sell is a reflection of who he/she is: the title of the books, the way the bookshop is decorated, the shelving system, the items being displayed behind the window, the way he/she greets people… each and every little details convey a story.
Santorini holds two precious little bookshop I adore so much. The hidden jewel (just like what its name suggest), Atlantis Books in Oia and Books & Style in Fira—not far from the bus station (the owner of the bookshop is the one who gave me Karagkiozis wooden puppet as a gift, and I gave him a bottle of Vinsanto as a parting gift before I left).
Atlantis Books is a true hidden treasure. You could miss it easily as you walked by those colorful tiny shops in Oia’s alleyways. But I always think that I’m a bookshop owner in my past life. Books are calling me. Bookshops are my sanctuary. And that’s how I found Atlantis Books that windy afternoon, climbed down the stairs to their magical blue door, and as I stepped in, I realized: heaven must look like this.
When it comes to books and reading, I love it the traditional way. Looking at those crumpled cover, caressing the flipped pages, reading the notes written on the side of the page with a pencil, laughing at the coffee stains, smelling the damp paper—vintage books get me high! And Atlantis Books is heaven because they have these vintage collections and some classic’s first editions. True gem.
The story behind this bookshop—as appear in their official site, is even more romantic:
“In the spring of 2002, Oliver and Craig spent a week on the island of Santorini. The land inspired them and there was no bookshop, so they drank some wine and decided to open one. Oliver named it Atlantis Books and the two laughed about how their children would run it someday. In England, Tim took Craig for a walk along the Sussex coast. Craig told Tim about the bookshop and Would he like to build it. Tim said Great!
For a year the idea percolated as Craig and Oliver went about graduating from university. Around his thesis deadline Craig called Chris and talked about the bookshop. Chris said Can I come?
An email from Jenny went like this: Maria and Craig, I’m introducing you both. Maria, Craig’s going to Paris in December and thence to Santorini. Craig, Maria is from Cyprus and is English Literature & bookshop employee extraordinaire. Love you both, J.
The four boys and Maria devoted six months to saving money, finding books, settling debts, writing and reading and thinking. Tim borrowed a van named Danny. Will offered to design a website and a wave logo and said Could I come along.
New Year’s Morn, Quinn packed Danny, waved us off and we ploughed across the continent and landed in Oia. We found an empty building facing the sunset, drank some whiskey and signed a lease. We found a dog and cat, opened a bank account, applied for a business license, found some friends, built the shelves, landed a boat on the terrace and filled the place with books. Jenny came in April and painted everything blue.
Atlantis Books opened in the spring of 2004 and lived below the castle for one year. In the winter of 2005 we moved into the center of town and settled nicely into the community. We’ve had food festivals and film festivals, writers reading on the terrace, and a host of cats and dogs.
The bookshop feels like home now and we’re still laughing about how our children will run it someday. As Will says, it’s as easy as that. As you. As that.”
Books & Style is nostalgic in its own humble way. It reminds me of the little bookshops in my hometown where my parents used to take me. Apart from some lovely postcards, they have children’s corner (where I found the Greek edition of The Little Prince to complete my friend’s The-Little-Prince-book collection), wooden souvenirs, as well as recipe books. But what I love the most is the watercolour paintings and the vintage-looking tin cans/boxes. They are so beautiful!
I’m still holding on to this all-time dream: to open up a small bookshop with a small cafe inside it (and I always believe that I’ll meet my soul-mate in a bookshop!). Wish me luck!
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More in this series:
- Santorini | 3. Those Who Leave Traces
- Santorini | 2. The Road Less Travelled
- Santorini | 1. The Art of Travelling Alone
- Santorini (Prologue) | 0. The City
Slum Child.
Posted: July 5, 2011 Filed under: Books and Movies | Tags: bina shah, Books and Movies, novel, pakistan, reading, slum child 4 Comments »Bina Shah, 2011 | 296 pages
Beberapa tahun terakhir ini, saya tertarik pada novelis-novelis India seperti Lahiri, Umrigar, Divakaruni, juga Bhagat. Ada sesuatu yang magis dari tulisan-tulisan mereka, kisah-kisah universal yang dibalut dengan nuansa tradisional yang kental. Sejak saat itu, saya memiliki ketertarikan khusus pada novel-novel dari Asia Selatan. Sayang, tak banyak penulis modern dari luar India yang saya ketahui. Namun sepulangnya dari Pakistan, saya menerima bingkisan dari Bina Shah, penulis novel Slum Child. Begitu membuka halaman pertama dan membaca kalimat pertamanya, saya tahu bahwa saya tidak akan bisa meletakkan buku ini lagi sebelum membacanya sampai habis.
Tidak mudah menjadi gadis Kristen miskin di daerah kumuh di Karachi, Pakistan. Tetapi di sanalah Laila tinggal, di Issa Colony yang kotor dan tidak menjanjikan apapun, termasuk masa depan. Laila gadis yang bersemangat dan cerdas. Hidup bersama ibu, ayah tiri, kakak perempuan yang sakit-sakitan dan adik-adik lelaki tirinya, Laila mencoba menemukan tempatnya di dunia. Kepalanya dipenuhi pertanyaan-pertanyaan tentang berbagai hal, termasuk tentang keberadaan Tuhan.
Ketika Jumana—kakak perempuan Laila—meninggal dunia karena TBC, dan ibu mereka dilanda depresi berat, ayah tiri Laila terbujuk untuk menjual keperawanan Laila. Mendengar rencana ini, Laila pun minggat dari rumah, meminta perlindungan kepada majikan ibunya—sebuah keluarga Muslim yang kaya-raya di daerah elit Karachi. Bekerja sebagai pengasuh anak, kini Laila pun harus bergelut dengan sebuah dunia yang berbeda 180 derajat dari dunia yang ia tinggalkan. Di sinilah ia merasakan debar-debar cinta pertama dan memberanikan diri bermimpi mengenai masa depan; namun kemudian menyadari bahwa pada akhirnya, ia harus memilih ke mana ia hendak “pulang”.
Slum Child merupakan sebuah novel yang sedih, sekaligus kuat. Dari mata kanak-kanak Laila, kita diajak melihat kehidupan di daerah kumuh secara apa adanya, tanpa emosi berlebih. Interaksi Muslim-Kristen, orangtua-anak dan golongan kaya-miskin dikisahkan secara lugas, tanpa terjebak dalam stereotipe. Slum Child menyadarkan kita bahwa kebaikan bisa muncul dari tempat-tempat yang paling tidak disangka-sangka. Dan novel ini adalah salah satu novel yang membuat saya sungguh-sungguh tersenyum, juga menitikkan air mata ketika membacanya.
