Reader's real home
Interview with Baku Book Center Director Gunel Anargizi

INTERVIEWS  10 June 2022 - 10:00

Baku Book Center is one of the most popular places in Baku among people who like reading and beyond. This place located right in the heart of the city, near the so-called “Molokan park”, is cozy, well planned, and simply beautiful. Caliber.Az is talking to the Director of the Center Gunel Anargizi about Center’s history and activities.

- Hello! Please tell us how your center was created?

- Hello! The idea of establishing the Center belongs to the First Vice-President of the country Mehriban Aliyeva. The idea was brought to life by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. We are very proud that the center was created exclusively by the efforts of local specialists. Everything from concept, design, engineering, and construction is done by local companies and specialists. The center was opened by the President of the country, Mr. Ilham Aliyev at the end of August 2018, and after three days the doors were opened for everyone to visit.

- Books in what languages are sold in the center?

- In the sales department, books are mainly in Azerbaijani, Russian, Turkish, and English. Other languages are available in our Foreign Literature Corner on the first floor and the library on the second floor - where you can find books in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Arabic.

- As far as I know, you allow visitors not only to view the books on the shelves but also to read them in the reading room. How commercially profitable is it?

- We have introduced this practice since the first day of the BBC. Of course, we hope for careful handling of the books, although in the first days of the center's work, sad to say, several very valuable books were damaged. After that, we decided that rare and valuable books can only be used by purchasing them. Otherwise, any book can be leafed through, and most of them can be read directly, sitting in the center. Of course, we also have commercial goals, but this is not the most important thing in the work of our BBC.

- How does the presence of such a cozy cafe help or hinder work? Your coffee is really good!

- Thanks for the compliment on the coffee. No, coffee does not interfere with us at all, rather it helps. It gives the center a special aura and coziness, so the success of the center also depends on the cafe and the coffee offered there)

- You seem to be holding many different events, mostly book launches and other audiovisual productions, your calendar is quite busy. How do you explain such popularity?

- Despite the break caused by the pandemic (during the period of complete lockdown we worked online), we have a huge number of events - meetings with writers, poets, creative people, and representatives of various professions. Especially popular are activities organized for children, such as "Reading Hour", which is attended by a large number of popular people who read books to children. A series of meetings for young people and students are also popular. The center operates a children's theater "OYAN". We have also published several books and a children's magazine. The BBC not only sells books but also functions as a cultural and educational center. The secret of popularity is that we do not limit ourselves to the world of literature, we also present projects related to science, and art, work with various embassies and international organizations, organize events for people with disabilities, etc.

- You have a fairly democratic approach to holding events; there are presentations of works by both classics and modern authors. If I remember correctly, Till Lindemann, the lead singer of the Rammstein band, presented his book of illustrations in your center. By the way, would you please tell me, in confidence, as a fan of hard rock, does the Rammstein band plan to give a concert in Baku?

- Yes, the events are diverse, and the book is the center of everything. As for Lindemann, he presented a book of his lyrical poems, expressed in a very unusual art form. As for the group's concerts in Baku, apparently, the group has no such plans. By the way, Lindemann turned out to be a very modest person, pleasant to talk to, and completely different from his stage image.

- How many staff are in your center? After all, you work seven days a week and this imposes an additional burden on the staff?

- In addition to the book center staff, we have employees of the Cofemood cafe, the I love Baku souvenir brand, the stationery department, the Azermarka corner, and their employees are not directly considered employees of the BBC. But we still have enough employees and a lot of work, as there are many projects, and events and each of the BBC employees clearly knows their duties. I would especially like to note our creative staff because many of the new ideas for the Center come from them.

- Books in which language are most interesting? It seems to me that after Azerbaijani, English is gradually taking second place, or am I mistaken?

- Russian and Turkish are in second place. English, rather after them.

- You also seem to be the author of several books, are they for sale at the BBC?

- It's nice that you remembered this hypostasis of mine, I am the author of more than ten books. They are also on sale in our center, but it is difficult for me to say for sure whether they are currently available.

- When my children were small, they read fairy tales written by you. I hope that even despite your busyness, you will be able to continue to please your readers with new works. Thank you very much for the informative interview. We wish your center prosperity and creative success to you!

- Thanks for the interesting questions! I wish you and the entire Caliber team successful work!

Sadyar Aliyev

Caliber.Az