Buchholz Bookstore: A new life at 80

 Buchholz Bookstore: a new life at 80

 

Rehabilitated and revitalized, one of the oldest bookstores in Lisbon has just revealed itself to the city filled with novelties. Among the greatest names in literature and books on current major issues, Buchholz is once again selling records, works of art, promoting concerts, and hosting conversations. And there’s more: an exhibition of personal objects belonging to authors, including manuscripts by José Saramago and António Lobo Antunes.

Between a return to the past and a leap into the future, Buchholz has a new lease on life firmly rooted in the present. Celebrating its 80 years of stories, the Duque de Palmela’s street bookstore presents itself with a fresh face, emphasizing renowned names in literature and thought, a heightened focus on giving space to new fiction authors, an expanded offering of foreign-language books, and numerous titles about the city of Lisbon.

Graphic novels, books on visual arts and music also emerge with renewed vigor, complementing spaces dedicated to vinyl records and works by Portuguese artists – two commitments to independent curation led by Flur Discos and Icon Shop.

The three wooden-clad floors connected by a monumental spiral staircase are once again hosting cycles of conversations, concerts, and wine tastings, among many other initiatives. In an increasingly digital world, this is a commitment to analog and untransmissible interaction. The topics range from literature to major contemporary issues. After a day of study or work, the people of Lisbon have a new space for gathering and enjoyment.

There are also three permanent exhibitions—one dedicated to Dom Quixote and its founder, Snu Abecassis, another about the publishing house that launched the only Portuguese Nobel laureate, and a third, spanning two floors, featuring personal objects of authors such as manuscripts from António Lobo Antunes and José Saramago, Isabela Figueiredo’s first typewriter, and Lídia Jorge’s favorite pens.

The idea behind this renovation was to recover the DNA of this historical landmark. Founded by the German Karl Buchholz in the summer of 1943 on Avenida da Liberdade, the bookstore moved in 1965 to one of the streets parallel to the avenue, right next to Marquês de Pombal. At that time, during the Estado Novo regime, Buchholz was already a hub for gatherings and resistance.

Both the classical music record store and the art gallery, featuring artists like Helena Almeida, Noronha da Costa, and Mário Cesariny, quickly became indispensable references in the city’s cultural life. Next to the floor-to-ceiling shelves, names like writers and poets António Lobo Antunes, David Mourão-Ferreira, Al Berto, and Assis Pacheco could be found.

Buchholz was also a point of reference for several figures who shaped the political history of the country, such as Mário Soares, Sá Carneiro, Freitas do Amaral, and Francisco Pinto Balsemão. An interesting story: the idea for the provocative weekly newspaper “O Independente” was born here in the 1980s from a chance encounter between Miguel Esteves Cardoso and Paulo Portas, both regular customers.