Letter from Madrid
Between the Paseo del Prado and Retiro Park, along the Royal Botanic Gardens of Madrid, Cuesta de Moyano is a small, steep pedestrian street well known to lovers of old and second-hand books in the Spanish capital. About thirty small casetas − wooden huts from the early 20th century − line both sides of the alley. Open every day since May 11, 1925, they overflow with books of all kinds: literary classics, essays on cinema, children's literature, philosophical essays, music scores, graphic novels... each one has its specialty, depending on the tastes of the booksellers who manage them.
True book enthusiasts and living encyclopedias who, every day, set up and take down their stands, these booksellers are symbols of accessible culture for all. Outside in open air, they are guardians of a piece of Madrid's identity − if not resistors. Alongside the bouquinistes of Paris, who have occupied the Seine's banks since the 16th century, Cuesta de Moyano is the last permanent outdoor book fair in Europe. On the occasion of its centenary, the two institutions sealed their twin identities on Thursday, May 8, during a ceremony at the Institut français de Madrid.
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