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Onde fica a bookshop? (texto português + English text)

Em Agosto 2022 mudámo-nos de Arganil, uma pequena cidade no centro de Portugal, para Vila Nova de Gaia, que faz parte da área metropolitana do Porto.

Quando chegámos no início de Agosto, a cidade existia como um punhado de pontos, os lugares que eram imediatamente memoráveis ou essenciais: a saída da A1; a estação de metro de Santo Ovídio; o nosso apartamento que tinha sido tão difícil de encontrar no mercado de aluguer febril; o pequeno supermercado; a loja de vegetais bio que estava sempre fechada; a grande avenida que desce até ao Porto; a escola de línguas onde vou trabalhar.

Duas semanas mais tarde e já preenchemos o nosso mapa mental. Há mais ginásios do que salas de tatuagem, e mais dentistas do que ginásios. Há muitos cafés e padarias independentes. Há uma bela biblioteca - fechada para obras. Mas até agora não há livrarias. Uma vez apareceu uma livraria segunda-mão na borda do do google maps, mas flutuou para a desordem digital. 

Pedi ao Facebook e as pessoas disseram-me para ir à Livraria Lello. Mas isso é como dizer a alguém que lhe pediu que horas são? para visitar Londres e olhar para o Big Ben.

O que é que as pessoas lêem? Como é que lhe põem as mãos em cima? Onde as pessoas falam de ideas e de poemas e de livros? 

Map of the world made in 1502, from the exhibition Fernāo de Magalhāes: pelos mares do mundo inteiro at Museu Nacional Soares Reis, Porto

In August we moved from Arganil, a small town in central Portugal, to Vila Nova de Gaia, which is part of the metropolitan area of Porto. 

When we arrived at the start of August, the town existed as a handful of points. The few places that were essential, or instantly memorable, or both: the slip road off the A1; Santo Ovídio metro station; the flat which had been so hard to find in the fevered rental market; the little supermarket; the organic veg shop that was always closed; the grand avenue leading down the hill to Porto; the language school where I’ll be working.

Two weeks later and we’ve filled this in. There are more gyms than tattoo parlours, and more dentists than gyms. An abundance of independent cafes and bakeries. A lovely library, closed for renovation. 

But so far no bookshops. A second-hand one appeared once at the edge of google maps, but it floated off into the digital haze and cannot be retrieved. 

I asked Facebook and people suggested I go to Livraria Lello. But that's like telling someone who's asked you the time to take a trip to see Big Ben.

What do people read? How do they get their hands on it? Where do people talk about books and ideas?

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