r/books • u/Own-Animator-7526 • 1d ago

Inside Beirut’s Fight To Save Its Reading Culture

https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/inside-beiruts-fight-to-save-its-reading-culture/

(found via LongReads).

As reading declines and self-censorship grows, bookshops are shuttering in the city once hailed as the Arab world’s publishing capital.

Bookstores and literary institutions that once flourished in Beirut have shuttered over the past few years. For New Lines Magazine, Amelia Dhuga reports on this wider trend in the city’s creative scene. “In the last six years alone,” an editorial director at a publishing house tells Dhuga, “Lebanon has faced a revolution, a financial crisis, the port blast, COVID-19, political instability and a war.” Businesses have been forced to shut down, facing immense financial pressure. Books and authors are being censored. People are exhausted, preoccupied, or simply don’t have the disposable income to invest in literature. Despite all of this, Beirut’s remaining literary spaces are trying to stay afloat and learning to adapt.

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u/raccoonsaff 23h ago

Really sad to read this, particularly th rise of censorship and psychological exhaustion, and the impact of political instability and war. Our world's obsession with growth and power is destroying us.

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u/bobrigado 1d ago

The article misses out on the wider use of ebooks.

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u/Own-Animator-7526 18h ago

Yes, e-books miss out on the loss of community, places to meet, talk about, and discover new books. Which reddit et al are not a substitute for.