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Historic library weaves ‘Harry Potter’-style tourist magic in Rio
RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 21, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – From the outside, it looks like
another historic edifice in Rio’s rundown city center.
Inside, however, is a multi-tiered library so spectacular, so ornate, that
stunned visitors feel like they’ve walked into a movie fantasy set.
“In ‘Harry Potter’ we’ve seen libraries like this!” exclaimed Didier
Margouet, a 57-year-old French tourist, looking around at the shelves of
leather bound books climbing the walls under an octagonal skylight of red,
white and blue stained glass.
“Yes, like in the movies,” agreed his partner, Laeticia Rau, 50.
The Royal Portuguese Reading Room — the Real Gabinete Portugues de
Leitura in Portuguese — was built in the late 19th century under the
stewardship of an association of Portuguese migrants that still cares for the
institution.
Its Gothic-Renaissance architecture and plethora of carvings, tiles and
sculptures celebrate the glory of the Portuguese discoveries era in the 15th
and 16th centuries.
Holding some 350,000 books, some of them very rare, the library today is
more a tourist attraction and selfie backdrop than a reading room, though for
a few it remains an indispensable haven for the largest collection of
Portuguese-language books outside of Portugal.
– Loyal reader –
One such loyal reader is Carlos Francisco Moura, an 86-year-old who writes
about the history of Portugal.
He arrived in Brazil from Portugal aged four with his parents, and from
childhood became a regular visitor. Now retired from his profession as
architect, Moura spends his time leafing through the tomes, copying
information for his own books.
“This is the alma mater of the Portuguese in Brazil — the reading room is
that, and a lot more,” Moura told AFP, sitting at one of the dark wooden
desks.
The library is a valuable resource, he explained, because since the 1930s
it has become a repository of every book published in Portugal.
Brazil’s historic connection with its former colonial ruler runs deep. In
1808, Portugal’s king and his government made Rio de Janeiro the capital of
the Portuguese Empire.
Later, the king’s son declared independence and made himself the emperor
of Brazil. Portuguese remained the country’s principal language, and with it
a two-way literary culture between the two countries. Today, the Portuguese
and Brazilian flags both fly on the library’s exterior.
– Custodian –
Orlando Inacio, 67, manages the place. He too came from Portugal as a boy
— and has never returned.
“It’s a real point of pride to know that this library created by
Portuguese is one of the most beautiful in the world,” he said.
Giving a bit of its history, he traced the library’s roots back to an
association of Portuguese immigrants started in 1837.
“The aim was to help the immigrants, who in general were little educated,
to improve their knowledge, their education,” he said.
The association continues to fund the library, its members paying a
monthly amount that helps cover part of its overheads. The rest of the income
comes from other buildings owned by the association that are rented out.
Inacio acknowledged that the internet has brought changes, reducing the
need for researchers and bookworms to frequent the place except for
consulting rare books that are otherwise unavailable.
But his delight in his everyday office is evident. He is, after all,
custodian of a temple of literature steeped in history, connecting Portugal
and Brazil in a bond of language.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1706 hrs