La Feria del Libro - A Book Lover's Dream

If you like books and are in Madrid in early June then missing out on the Feria del Libro is something you'll kick yourself for over and over again. During this time the long leafy avenues of the Parque del Retiro are lined with little canopied stalls piled high with every sort of book you could imagine.

People stroll along, passing from stall to stall and picking up anything that takes their fancy to flip it over and read the blurb. This book fair isn't just for secondhand or antique books (though there are definitely stalls dedicated to these) and the focus is on showcasing the incredible Spanish publishing industry. Each numbered stall has the name of the publishing house or casa editorial printed on its canopy and you can find anything from self help, gothic horror, beautiful graphic novels and atlases to kids picture books, current bestsellers and teen fiction.

I came along late one afternoon as the sun was setting through the trees to have a browse and a wander. Elisa who normally spent her days working alongside me in the Casa del Libro shop on Gran Vía had been sent to the park to man our stall so it was lovely to chat with her.

 

The prices of books on offer are at times a little cheaper than on the highstreet but don't expect anything to be super reduced.

If you're interested in working in the publishing industry or with books in general then I cannot recommend this place enough as somewhere to network. You'll need to speak Spanish (which goes without saying really as these are Spanish publishing houses) but representatives from all over Spain are here in their hundreds! If you can't make it to the fair itself the list of publishers involved can be found online after a quick google which makes speculative applications by email much easier.

I haven't been posting on my blog half as much as I normally would as I've been so busy lately! Now dissertation, coursework and exams are all over I'm so looking forward to this summer. First I'll be heading back to Madrid for a few days next week (yay!) then I'll be travelling to Cuba for two weeks at the end of June and then have an interesting looking month of work experience planned for August.

I can't wait to get back to Madrid but I can't even explain how excited I am for our trip to Cuba! I've never been to the Caribbean but it's always been a dream of mine; I'm imagining pirate treasure, tropical beaches, gorgeous crumbling architecture and cocktails in the setting sun.

Brace yourselves for a barage of photos and posts documenting our travels on my return in July!