Friday, December 23, 2016

Trip to Solidaridad, the store owned by F. Sionil José

Solidaridad

I DRAGGED my friends Karen Montevirgen-Mondragon and Jay Magbojos to Solidaridad, the quaint, quiet bookstore owned by the writer F. Sionil José. It's in the neighborhood, near the intersection of Bocobo and Padre Faura Streets, a private store that sells books, albeit more pricey compared to their counterparts at National Bookstore. But I always like the sweet smell of books, both old and new, and the classical music—mostly Bach and Mozart—that plays in the background, so I always visit when I have the opportunity.

Solidaridad Bookstore

One can find rare books in the store, even those published by NYRB, like this essay collection by Max Beerbohm, which I shall buy next.

Max Beerbohm

I must confess that I've never read any of Mr. José's books. I don't know why, but I should really find the time.

Solidaridad, Books by F. Sionil Jose

There's an abundance of Filipino literature inside, too—lots of books on Martial Law, Mindanao, and history.

Filipino lit at Solidaridad

It also sells magazines that are hard to find: like The New Yorker (at Php 300; not bad) and even Harper Magazine at times.

New Yorker Magazines at Solidaridad

I got Anton Chekov's "Peasants and Other Stories" published by NYRB. I'm alternating his short stories with William Finnegan's "Barbarian Days: A Surfer's Life," a book on surfing, which I'm reading in my iPad.

Solidaridad

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1 Comments:

Blogger ahmad said...

Aaaah Solidaridad! I love that place! Just gives you that feel of solitude and solidarity with work of art and literature!

Mon Dec 26, 07:03:00 PM GMT+8  

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