23 April is a special date in the literary calendar. It is the anniversary of Cervantes’ death, the birth and death of Shakespeare as well as the 20th annual celebration of the UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day. In 2015, we spent this unique day in Krakow’s bookshops, which are places in which we can find the latest, best-selling titles as well as discover previously unknown to us books.
Bookshops are an important part of the UNESCO City of Literature programme. In Krakow, there is no shortage of places where the advice and conversation with a bookseller/enthusiast is of the highest value. Wishing to draw even more attention to this, we invited writers from Krakow to play the role of booksellers for one day. Zośka Papużanka visited her befriended Bookshop under the Globe, Adam Zagajewski met with customers at Matras bookstore on the Main Square, Anna Chachulska talked about the newest children’s literature in Bona, and Soren Gauger guided participants to the most interesting corners and shelves in Massolit. Additionally, Krakow’s bookshops were also visited by Wit Szostak, Sławomir Shuty and Jerzy Franczak.