People visit the Book Market in the Mar Mikhael area in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
by Dana Halawi
BEIRUT, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Wearing a happy smile, Lea Tibi packed a suitcase with books after she went on an hour shopping spree at an annual book fair in Mar Mikhael, northeast in Lebanon's capital Beirut.
"This place is my heaven," Tibi told Xinhua while looking around for more at "Souk el Kotob," which is the Arabic word for the book market.
Starting Saturday, hundreds of book lovers flocked to the two-day "Souk el Kotob" where around 40 exhibitors showcase vast collections of books, mostly second-hand ones.
Visitors navigated around and between kiosks, picking their favorite books and reading their back covers with others speaking to exhibitors to ask about their preferred authors.
Cheap second-hand books are particularly welcomed, as people who saw their purchasing power reduced amid the country's economic woes can still have a chance to enjoy reading.
"This place is awesome as one can find good catches at prices that cannot be found elsewhere amid the current crisis and the collapse of the Lebanese pound," said Munzer Saad.
Saad, a paperback lover, said he used to read two books a month when prices were still affordable, but later opted for reading online articles to save money to go through the crisis.
"Nothing can replace the feeling you get when holding a real book in your hands," he said. "I have been waiting for an event like this where you can find interesting and affordable books."
Exhibitors expressed their happiness to see a fair buzzing with people, hoping their good deals attract more readers.
Yasmina Baroudy, a passionate reader, displays over 300 books at the fair, featuring used books priced at a modest range of 80,000 Lebanese pounds (about 2 U.S. dollars) to 200,000 pounds.
"I read some of these books twice, or three times, so I figured it's better to sell them at low prices to help other people read instead of keeping them in storage," Baroudy told Xinhua.
Abboud Abou Jaoude, the owner of the al-Furat bookshop, said the shop witnessed a more than 70-percent drop in book demand due to the economic crisis.
"We are aware that people are no longer able to pay 10 dollars for a book, which constitutes a significant portion of the salaries in some cases, so we priced our books lower to help book lovers pursue their passion," Abou Jaoude told Xinhua.
Elina Sarkissian, the owner of the "turning point books" publishing house based in Beirut, told Xinhua that she priced their books at 12,000 pounds per dollar, instead of the parallel market rate of 40,000 pounds, but demand is still meager.
"Books have become luxurious items for many, unfortunately," she said.
Lebanon has been going through a steep financial crisis, leading to the collapse of the local currency and the devaluation of salaries by over 90 percent, forcing people to focus their spending on necessities. ■
People visit the Book Market in the Mar Mikhael area in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
People visit the Book Market in the Mar Mikhael area in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
People visit the Book Market in the Mar Mikhael area in Beirut, Lebanon, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)
