Buenos Aires: South America’s City of Books

Buenos Aires is the birthplace of many a prominent writer, but it takes a visit to fully unveil the enduring love of reading in South America’s city of books.

Godfather of Argentine literature, Jorge Luis Borges famously said, “Let others pride themselves about how many pages they have written; I’d rather boast about the ones I’ve read.”

And read is what the Argentines do — on the bus, in the park, and in the myriad bookstores that are as plentiful as pharmacies and supermarkets in the capital city.

For readers and writers it’s comforting to see people reading actual books instead of looking at their cellphone on the subway, bus or in cafes.

A ‘Culture of Reading’

Literary sustenance for the soul in Buenos Aires is not limited to an insubstantial diet of romance novels and bestsellers — though those can certainly be found — but consists largely of dense literary and philosophical works.

Book-loving portenõs (Buenos Aires residents) are familiar with Foucault, Nietzsche, Arendt, Shakespeare, Joyce, as well as the Argentine heavy-weights — Borges, Julio Cortázar, Ernesto Ernesto Sábato and José Hernández

It is impossible to meander through the Buenos Aires without noticing the abundance of bookworms.

“Just look around on the subway and count how many people have a book,” says Florencia Basile, of La Porteña Books in Belgrano.

“From ages 20 to 60, people read a lot here — there is a culture of reading.”

Buenos Aires’ Main ‘Book Streets’

Wrapped in plastic to discourage sneak previews and summer rains, tomes grace the shelves of street side dispensaries, subway station kiosks of all the metro lines, and some of the grandest bookstores in the world, such as the opulent flagship store of El Ateneo, which is a bookstore located in a former opera house.

One testament to Buenos Aires’ love of literature is found right in the heart of Palermo, at Plaza Italia.

Right outside the Plaza Italia subway stop visitors can find 40+ stalls of new and second-hand books to take on the train, because reading a book on public transport is much safer and cooler than playing on your cellphone.

Corrientes Avenue, the main thoroughfare of Buenos Aires’ theater district, is also favored destination for late-night book browsing.

Where else in the world can one peruse the shelves at 3:00 a.m. after having a late-night porteño-style pizza nearby?

Latin America’s ‘Literary City’

Argentina leads Latin America in publishing, with over 20,000 titles released in the country per year. Buenos Aires is blessed with over 800 bookstores, the majority of them independently owned.

In 2011 UNESCO awarded Buenos Aires the title of ‘World Book Capital,’ in recognition of its many high-quality projects and activities involving books and reading.

The high point of these world-class programs is the yearly Feria Internacional del Libro de Buenos Aires (The International Book Fair) held from mid-April to early May.

For those already so inclined, embrace and enjoy wandering the aisles of books and the streets of ready-made benches.

For all others, let the Latin American bookworm bite and take a taste of the sumptuous, if old-fashioned, world of paper and print. –Alana Fichman

Ten Great Books Set in Buenos Aires

V&S Boutique Hostel is a place to stay that ticks all the boxes.

It’s reasonably priced, clean, and offers guests a wide range of activities.

It is also located in the thick of the action downtown — this could be either a plus or a minus, depending on what you’re after.

A Laid-Back but Social Downtown Hostel

Most Buenos Aires hostels are gathered around the tango bars and steak houses of San Telmo, or the bars and clubs of Palermo, but the microcentro area offers a happy compromise.

The corner of Viamonte and Suipacha streets lies two blocks walking distance of the pedestrian thoroughfare of Florida and Galeria Pacificos, a shopping mall that contains the Borges Cultural Center.

It’s also two blocks away from the spectacular Teatro Colón, among the world’s most celebrated opera houses.

Transportation is no problem here with numerous bus stops and subway lines running nearby.

Getting to San Telmo from the V&S takes less than 30 minutes on foot, and is even quicker by public transport or by using one of the city’s free bikes.

Palermo is slightly further away but still easy to reach from here.

The only drawback of being based downtown is the noise and hustle of a typical working day, which confront you as soon as you step out the door.

If you can cope with that, you’re in a very convenient spot for a fun stay in Buenos Aires.

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The Space: Peaceful but Social

Inside, the V&S is relaxed and comfortable.

Typical Argentine early 20th-century elegance is reflected in details such as the antique elevator, the cozy library and the French balconies and terrace overlooking a park.

The communal area is sunny and spacious, decorated with touches of rural Argentina.

It’s also dominated by a gigantic TV, perpetually alternating between movies and sports, depending on who has wrestled control of the remote.

V&S offers all the standard features you would expect from a good hostel.

The price of your room includes a buffet breakfast (until 10:30 am), introductory Spanish and tango lessons, and personal lockers (bring your own lock for extra security).

Internet access and laundry are available for a small fee.

The staff helps arrange trips to the usual attractions such as football games, theater and tango shows.

The management also finds a good balance between encouraging a peaceful environment for guests who need their rest, while providing plenty of opportunities to socialize.

Group dinners are arranged a couple of times a week they can get guests discounts at various recommended nightspots every night of the week.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights the hostel puts on live shows highlighting Argentine genres of music, such as tango and national rock, giving guests the chance to experience the local scene.

Rates vary slightly depending on season and length of stay, but the cheapest option is the 8-person room.

Four-bed rooms, with either external or internal bathrooms, are a slightly more expensive alternative.

Private rooms for solo travelers or couples with a small balcony and private bathroom are also available.

A huge plus is that all rooms have air conditioning and heating, an important feature during Buenos Aires’ chilly winters and muggy summers.

If you’re looking for a downtown hostel in Buenos Aires, head to V&S for a more relaxed environment.

If partying is on the agenda, check out the nearby Milhouse Hostel on Avenida de Mayo.

Book V&S Hostel Online
Viamonte 887 (corner of Suipacha)
Retiro/Downtown

Lively and melancholy, with famous avenues and historic buildings, Buenos Aires is a metropolis that lends itself as the setting for many wonderful books.

Most readers are already familiar with Argentina’s famous writers such as Cortazár and Borges, but there are many lesser-known great writers who’ve utilized Buenos Aires as a backdrop for their work, some of whose work has only recently been translated.

Bonus book: Marsha Mehran’s ‘The Margaret Thatcher School of Beauty,‘ a novel that explores poetry and community within Iranian community set in Buenos Aires during the Falklands/Malvinas War.

The novel was published posthumously following her mysterious death.

• For those who don’t read Spanish, or need a break from second language overload, a modest selection of imported foreign titles are found scattered in Buenos Aires’ kiosks and bookstores, and a few all-English bookstores, such as Kel and Walrus Books.

• Even if you don’t read Spanish, when in Argentina you won’t want to miss Buenos Aires’ most famous bookstore, and one of the world’s most beautiful, El Ateneo.

→ Check out our Literary Tour of Buenos Aires

or book the Buenos Aires Private Literary Tour online now