The weekend is just around the corner. Worn out by your 40 hours in the office, the only thing you really want is to be left alone. There is one place where you can take a break and have a really good time – the new club called Peroto (Plume) at the National Palace of Culture. We can hear you saying: another club that will make your ears ring with bad music and you’ll wake up the next morning with a headache from the bad alcohol… But here comes the surprise – the club is actually a book store cum bar, and it is open 24/7. Here is more from Svetlozar Zhelev, Director of the National Book Centre:

“The dream of having a place like this in Sofia and in Bulgaria belongs to all readers, all people who love books, all people who want to have a place to go to, a place where they can get a book, sit down for a read or have a drink with friends, book in hand. The heart of the Plume literary club is its literary stage, a venue for all kinds of literary events – readings, meetings with authors, discussions. Our aim is not so much to sell books as to generate and cultivate a taste of all things beautiful. We are hoping this place will become home to all people who love books.”

Every Monday the club will have a literary guide for discussing the most interesting books from the previous week, with different guests. Every Friday, the Plume will be home to the Spirit & Spirit literary club, an initiative that belongs to screenwriter, author and journalist Lyuben Dilov Jr. and poet and writer Alexander Sekulov. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday there will be book presentations and book signings. Sunday is children’s day, when children’s writers and illustrators are invited and different games organized. The club plans to have practical text, prose and drama courses targeted at young people with an interest in writing. Young poets and authors have a special place here – in conjunction with the National Book Centre, the club is hoping to be able to help them publish their works, as this is a big problem for budding authors. The club is making its debut at a time when interest in literature is undergoing a renaissance. More and more young people have been looking for a place they can call their own, a place where they can talk about their problems and discuss their favourite books and authors.

English version: Milena Daynova