Lisbon’s bookstores & libraries
If you’re looking for Portuguese writers translated into your language, this is the right list. Inside and outside bookstores, Lisbon presents a rich, international cultural scene, which is one of the reasons why I love living here.
This bookstore, located in the heart of Chiado, isn’t just the oldest bookstore in town, but is also a 2010 Guinness World record. It has been selling books since 1732 without interruption. You heard that right! This is the oldest operating bookstore in the world. Throughout the centuries, the location has changed four times. Today, the company has about 70 different branches scattered around Portugal. It’s quite a big bookstore, and each department comes with the name of a Portuguese writer and there is a lovely coffee shop at the back.
Fnac sells a wide range of electronics, instruments, music and books. This bookstore inside the Chiado shopping mall offers an amazing selection of Portuguese and international writers divided into genres, with translations mainly available in English — crumbs are for French, Italian or German books. There’s also quite a big stationery section (with travel items as well) and a kids toy department. My favourite spot is the reading room.
Owned by Eduarda, a lovely Canadian lady, always available to chat and share suggestions, this bookstore sells second-hand books in English. It’s located between Saldanha and Alameda, and, for us residents, is a meeting place for cultural events as well. The first floor is dedicated to non-fiction and classics, while the -1 floor has all the non-fiction and on sale items. But don’t take my word for it: Eduarda likes to rearrange the shelves periodically, as well as keep up to date with calendar festivities and singular add-ons. (She’s just inaugurated a vintage book section-hurrah.) If you’re short on your reading supplies, definitely check this place out.
This two-floor bookstore is located inside one of the most creative spots of the city: the “LX factory” village. There is a bike hanging from the ceiling that always makes me think about that kind of connection between magic and literature that many passionate readers can relate to. The second floor has a separate room that is used for cultural events. Downstairs, next to the entrance, a cozy bar will make you sit and grab a glass of wine while flicking through your newly bought items.
In the already mentioned Saldanha Duke Square, there are two shopping malls: Saldanha Residence and Atrium Saldanha. If you’re around this side of Lisbon and want to browse books while looking at some of the most fashionable squares of the city, visit the top floor of Atrium Saldanha. The editorial group “Almedina” is known in Portugal for technical and legal books. However, this branch also presents some general English translations that you can enjoy while sitting next to the big windows overlooking the city’s hustle and bustle.
An interesting late Gothic building close to Commerce Square is the city’s main homage to the only Portuguese awarded with a Nobel Prize in Literature (year 1998). Casa dos bicos (literally: the spiky house — get there to realize why it has this name) was built in 1523, inspired by a palace located in Italy. On the second floor, a bookstore offers translations of the writer in different languages, as well as an interesting collection of pictures related to his private life. Having a hard time as an artist in Portugal, he exiled himself in Lanzarote, where he worked and lived all his life, together with Pilar, his Spanish partner. The José Saramago Foundation is located on the top floor. If you like literature, this is a place you shouldn’t miss!
Fernando Pessoa Digital Library
If you are fluent in Portuguese, you can access Pessoa’s personal digital library. He is one of the most celebrated Portuguese writers of all times. More than 1000 volumes, including rare and/or lost versions of works that have been cataloged and made available digitally for the public.
This 18th century noble palace served many purposes. It also hosted the first library for blind people in Portugal. Since 1981, it has been the venue of the Camões Library. (Camões was the most famous Renaissance writer, a bit like the Portuguese Shakespeare.) Reach the entrance and open your eyes wide to be amazed by the blue and white tiles decorating the walls. This is just the beginning! In the main room, there’s an old piano surrounded by an impressive amount of old books. They are as impressive as the 25th April Bridge river view — your Instagram account will beg for a picture.
The second of my favorite municipal libraries in Lisbon is also one of the least known AND the oldest of the city. Named after St. Lazar, it’s hosted inside a neoclassic building built in 1883. Inside the Noble Room, the hexagonal perimeter doesn’t go unnoticed, as well as the mezzanine floor and the hard wooden antique furniture: old clocks, a typewriter, vintage velveted table lamps and crystal chandeliers. It’s a blast from the past, a unique atmosphere! The beauty of this room has been shot in movies and pictures, so this is already a good reason to visit the library.
