by Alexandria Turner
VIENNA, Austria – A few times a year, Franz Leo & Company, an independent bookshop in Vienna’s First District, is full of customers trying to squeeze in for a reading. Many of the city’s bookstores hold book presentations and poetry readings as a way to attract customers.
It’s one sign that print is alive and well in Austria’s capital city.
Between 20 and 30 attend the public readings at Franz Leo & Company.
“We have no space more for that here,” Ulla Remmer, co-owner, said. “People sit on the balcony, and downstairs there is an invited author presenting books. We also invite children’s authors.”
A few years ago, Remmer invited American author Paul Bogard to present his book, The End of Night, which is about light pollution. The director of the Natural History Museum of Vienna allowed Franz Leo & Company to host the event at the museum, she said.
“It’s important for them, the bookstores, even the independent bookstores, to get people to come to the store, even if they don’t buy a book,” said Dr. Murray Hall, a professor of German literature at the University of Vienna. “[It’s important] to get people into the (physical) bookstore,” to re-direct business otherwise going to online booksellers.
Shakespeare & Company, an independent English-only bookstore in the city’s First District, hosts read-ins, as well.
The events usually “star” a young author launching his or her first book.
“We can’t afford to fly in somebody famous,” said Sheila Perlaki, a 10-year employee. “Sometimes a reading can be six people, and sometimes it’s 35 and the place is packed.”
The idea of hosting a book reading is not a new one, common among Viennese bookstores for decades.
“It’s an old tradition,” Hall said. “In the early 1900s, they sold tickets to poetry readings and held readings. Some of them had a concert office, as well, where they sold tickets to concerts in Vienna. So they weren’t merely a bookstore, they were sort integrated into other parts of society.”
While bookstores may not be frequented as they once were, book readings and poetry presentations are a way to keep Viennese interested in the written word.