The steed of the blue coachman rides again, no bolt, and with a seductive trot through the Cuban narrative for children and adolescents; now he is far from Pueblo Nuevo (New Town) where he was conceived by Dora Alonso, his creator, but also near the sea, as well as two blocks from Havana’s Seawall, the Malecón.
Gente Nueva publishing house, located next to the Melia Cohiba Hotel, opened this summer the first Cuban bookstore specializing in children’s literature, and named it after the hairy character who, against all social convention, dyed himself on indigo to have adventures with his blue “trouppe”, and not to stop until he could remove lethargy from a sleeping village. Perhaps such irreverence inspires those who still opt for reading in times of audiovisual predominance.
El Cochero Azul has something for all tastes: from classics such as The Golden Age, Platero y yo, or the visionary fantasies of Jules Verne to comic strips and other literary creations of Cuba and the rest of the world : poems, novels, story books, children’s theatre, picture books, colouring books, and pastimes books issued by various national publishers.
Writer Enrique Perez Diaz, director of Gente Nueva, has great hopes for this project’s impact on the community, which in turn serves as a thermometer to know which books work the most in terms of sales and thematic. The bookstore sold 363 copies only on its opening day, for more than two thousand Cuban pesos, figures that beat expectations, said Flor Nodal, deputy manager-trade marketing of this entity.
However, Perez Diaz says sales are not what matters the most, “I want people to find here the book they are looking for, a book that makes them grow”, and also boosts the sales of everything that is published in Cuba, specially for that age range.
The renowned writer for children, amen his administrative interest, tells that working in the publishing house provides him feedback and reading guidance:” When the reader comes to buy he will be directly in touch with publishers and even authors, often mingled with the public” Perez Diaz noted.
El Cochero Azul can´t be confined to a bookstore role. This center is a true community project, with a toy library and a gallery, a repertoire of storytelling, drawing workshops, educational games, and lectures and guided tours, but mostly, promotes reading.
The gallery Dream Awake had a luxury premiere on “Dream Makers”, a colourful exhibition of illustrations by Rafael Morante, Nelson Ponce, Ares, Pablo Montes de Oca, Bonachea, Javier García, Yaimel López y Abenamar Bauta.
El Cochero Azul launched perhaps its most tortuous journey with the premise that there is not better company than a book. Times have changed and although many people prophesy the death of books in the printed format, this famous character and his followers insist on their journey, although during the trip they have to face everybody.
