Glass walls and a spiral staircase with letters dispersed by the hand of a wizard: the magic world of books is accommodated in a small pavilion in the park outside the National Theater open for people with generous hearts.

This way the City of Sofia now has its first outdoor reading area - with a selection of contemporary books offered to readers in the park. The idea has come from the Association of Urban Reading Rooms and financing has been raised by local government.

„We addressed people with the request to donate books, because we had no resources to buy them”, says Alexander Shpatov, the Association's Chairman, and adds: “If we had to buy 1500 volumes this would have cost too much. On 24 May we started the campaign. After donating a book, a particle of the giver and his or her spirit remains to inhabit this place.”

Sofia citizens with support from the municipal authority have breathed new life into an abandoned spot. The pavilion in the National Theater Park had not been used for years. Now it is reborn as a small library with an information center for tourists. Its tiny built-up area of just 18 sq. m is able to house not more than 2000 books, hence, only well-established authors are allowed in. Terry Pratchett, Haruki Murakami, Orhan Pamuk, Isabel Allende, Ayn Rand, Georgi Markov, Milen Ruskov, Alek Popov: all books are in Bulgarian and the letters of the Bulgarian alphabet are clearly visible.

„In fact the Cyrillic is our most precious treasure - it is without exaggeration the biggest tourist attraction, because foreigners have to come to terms with it once their flights land at the airport”, Alexander Shpatov says. “The Cyrillic is the only point of contact between the tourist center and the reading area, so we decided that the pavilion's façade should be decorated with all letters of the alphabet that do not repeat the Latin script, as well as of the Glagolitic script, being part of Bulgaria's history. Besides, we have made wooden letters that people can use to 'write down' their names.”

The first from among close to 1000 library cards was given to Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova. At the opening of the reading nook she donated Hristo Botev's My Prayer and Poems by Robert Burns.

„This is a very creative project and it has helped set up one more cultural point in Sofia. The idea for a reading area combined with an information center right at the heart of the city is great. This immediately positions Sofia as an oasis of culture with the Cyrillic alphabet being the center of the project.”

One of book donors is 5-grade pupil Aylan Karaoglan:

„Now I am going to donate the book The Future of the Earth and Mankind. I have always loved reading. Sometimes I borrow books from the public library, sometimes I buy books. I am now reading Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece. To those who are not keen readers yet I would strongly recommend reading because it is about getting cultured. When I grow up I will become an architect and will build high buildings and intersections. I have already tried to design some.”

Elizabeth Stefanova had decided to give away her favorite book from childhood, Yan Bibiyan by classic Elin Pelin.

„When I read it for the first time I was a little girl and it was so funny. Now at 25 I feel the same rereading it. What a great read! As to the reading area in the park, I guess it adds to the city's worth as a tourist destination. And, indeed, the alphabet is a good symbol of the country. For me this idea is exciting. And though media focus on other phenomena, I must tell you that there are many inquisitive young people fond of reading good books.”

The reading area is open from 10 am to 8 pm every day and is accessible to anybody who has donated at least one book. “We have an idea about a new cultural point in the city, but we will keep this secret for now,” Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova said.

English Daniela Konstantinova