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Bourree Lam discovers the charms of Macau’s independent bookstores

“When I’m with books, I feel very peaceful,” says Jane Lei, founder and owner of Pinto Livros (Livros is Portuguese for ‘books’). Though situated above a bustling Starbucks in busy St. Domingos district, the interior of Pinto Livros is surprisingly quiet, and devoid of the mass commercialism that has overwhelmed many Macau streets in recent years. Instead, Pinto is a quaint upstairs space, with a fresh breeze blowing through open windows, walls and walls of books, rows of green, potted plants, and two resident cats – all making for the most cosy of reading rooms, where avid readers often sit for hours soaking up literature and atmosphere.

As National Day is celebrated on Tuesday 10, in memory of Macau’s greatest ever poet Luis de Camoes, it seemed like a good time to get to know the current literary scene in Macau.

Pinto has been around for five years, and yet it remains hidden, even to locals. Approaching a local Macanese to ask for directions, I was promptly given a wondrous look of amazement that I even knew of the shop.

Bloom bookshop, on the other hand, makes no attempt to hide, painted as it is in bright red, and located on the corner of historic Bazaar Temple Square. However, despite their different approaches, the two independent bookstores are closely linked, often sending customers to each other. “We’re on the same [page],” says owner António Falcão of Bloom. “There are no big bookstores in Macau, and that’s good and bad.

Before the days of Pinto and Bloom, book-loving Macau residents had to cross the waters to Hong Kong to acquire reading materials. However, it is precisely the enclave’s lack of megachain bookstores, such as Page One, that left open the possibility for these two independent bookstores to be born. “A few friends and I just wanted to do what we wanted to do,” says Lei.

Pinto, a transliteration from the shop’s Chinese name Bin Doh, translates as, “Where?” as in, “where are the books?” The shop answers its own question. They’re right here. Pinto has an esoteric collection of books, alongside CDs, Lomo cameras and homemade notebooks. The collection is mainly in Chinese, with a few English fiction selections, and a section solely devoted to Macanese authors.

Likewise, Bloom houses books by local authors translated from Portuguese and Chinese into English, as well as numerous classics. From Camus to Rushdie, Falcão offers some of the best English books and magazines available in Macau.

But the two bookstores are much more than mere shops, they are spaces for cultural junkies to gather and explore, discuss and consume. Hosting regular art exhibitions and meet the author sessions, Pinto and Bloom are tring to help culture grow – proffering a message on how modern life can be a little slower, and perhaps a little more thoughtful.

“It’s about bringing sensitivity back, and reminding yourself to live,” says Lei. Indeed, practicing what they preach (Lei is a theatre dancer, Falcão a photographer), the two are asking others to embrace their creative sides.

It seems people are responding. Bloom is doing so well, that Falcão will soon open a new store in the up and coming creative district of St. Lazarus. The sister store will be situated in the historic Old Ladies’ House, with special sections for current topics such as environmental awareness.

“The world of books is endless,” says Falcão passionately. “Once I get into it, I can spend the entire day around books.” And now he does. The good news is that thanks to Falcão and Lei, you can, too.

Pinto Livros: Largo Senado No.31, 3/F, 1A Veng Heng, (853) 2833 0909; http://blog.roodo.com/pintolivros

Bloom: Largo do Pagode do Bazar, Rua de Guimarães, 206, (853) 2892 0121; www.bloomland.blogspot.com