An imagined reality

Dear City Residents!

 

There will surely be quite a few people, I can already hear their unbridled, critical voices, who will claim that most snobs or upper-class elite people don't have time to read books, or, if they do, they choose and select them a lot the works of authors who are worth reading - in general - bestsellers or book prize-winners.

In the elite area of ​​the capital, right at the feet of the Margit Bridge, with its patina and a long history, there is an insignificantly narrow street, almost the size of a mouse hole, which is necessary for those who really want to get their hands on quality literature to go all the way to the end. Its owner is himself an extremely educated, intelligently optimistic person, who tried to gather bloggers who love books in general, hobby writers who are good with books, and almost anyone who wants to connect the universal joy of reading with the idealism of free thinking.

If one wanders into this very, very cozy, but somewhat cramped, almost tiny room, it is as if one could already feel at home without words. You enter a real magic kingdom, where there is a literary novelty on every square centimeter, and the sellers are very direct and friendly. So, in the hope of a common cultural cause, they embrace and help those who want to immerse themselves in culture. And if one stomps into the store around ten o'clock in the morning in the sweltering, drunken heat, or in the middle of wintry blizzards, one or two personal, friendly words can be exchanged with the angelic owner of the store.

Yes, but what about the first volume or unknown authors who have not yet been recognized either intentionally or at all by the so-called official, self-important cultural public, and who are forced to make ends meet by distributing electronic books with the usual and well-deserved, but much more expensive paper books?!

In most cases, these talented authors who were somewhat unlucky or - due to lack of financial resources - condemned to bad luck and almost complete oblivion are deliberately forgotten or ignored, depending on what interests or obscure negotiations put them in the crossfire. In a more fortunate case - and this is especially the case in today's world - it is truly a rarity, an enthusiastic literary historian or Hungarian student will do everything in order to write his or her thesis or doctoral dissertation, which has been researched in detail, almost entirely about an Anonymous author who is as unknown to the professional public as possible. , and it is certainly at this time that only those who really deal with literature come across really hidden treasures.

A former history teacher in his thirties once visited this shop. At first, he didn't even want to come, since he had already heard a lot of urban legends not only about the place, but also about the owner of the shop herself, who is really hungry for the latest, varied, literary, contemporary treats, and who - in addition to gossip - likes to embrace and tries to help writers and authors involved in book publishing.

The very first thing that struck the man was his kindness, his directness, and his somewhat self-serving, false exaggeration of warm smiles, which seemed quite unusual in a world steeped in superficial self-interested compromise, where money was drastic, and greedy pursuit. In such a world, you have to pay heavy sums just to breathe.

The man who wandered into the store first took a look at those hidden, tiny nooks that are barely visible to the human eye, where people with a tendency to reflect and self-mutilate tend to deliberately retreat, who perceive solitude as a gift, or in some cases it has become such an integral part of them that they are unable get rid of it. Almost immediately, the man spotted a tall bamboo plant, at least one meter tall, behind whose slightly prickly, but even larger leaves, he could keep an eye on the majority of strangers in a defensive position.

Of course, they didn't let the shop assistants fall on their heads either. Some of them noticed the strange man's unusual behavior quite specifically. After all, who can this person fear or be so terrified of that he is afraid to come out and show himself from behind the leaves of the ornamental plant? they asked each other. A lovely lady, barely 160 cm tall, who looked like a university student, approached him:

"Excuse me, dear sir, for addressing you, but this is an ornamental plant, as you can see, and it cannot wait here!" �" his voice was soft and pleasant at the same time, but there was a spark of orderly strictness in it. Then he shows this strange guy how to honk his gloves. With his head down, the man acknowledged with boyish sadness that he was somehow not welcome, so he already thought that perhaps it would be better if he left already. He was about to go out the door of the shop with the golden bell, with his slightly stretched, grayish-coffee-colored, stuffed briefcase tucked under his arm, when he saw that the owner of the shop was getting out of her Audi 8 car, and she was wearing a pleasant, pretty summer dress with her dark hair pinned up. with her sunglasses, she looks like a modern-day Princess Poca Hontas. The princess of reading.

Rather, the man decided to try to secure another corner for himself, at least until the

the owner, who is always busy, does not enter the shop, and it may even happen that you can exchange a friendly word or two with her.

The moment that the owner appeared in the store, every employee and every customer welcomed her with such bursting cheerfulness and direct, familiarity, as if they were old acquaintances or relatives. Unusually, several people immediately put him down, even the old, retired people who had the chance to meet him for the first time.

"Hello Aliz!" I hope you had a good trip? How about this crappy traffic? they said. The radiant, young, modern woman was always smiling and had a kind word for everyone.

However, the store employees - it seems - were unable to get the strange man with the briefcase out of their heads, who was always looking for some kind of hiding place and looked like he was not a hundred years old. A young employee has already told the owner:

"Alice!" I think that strange man over there is limping on something! - the girl only pointed with her sharp gaze towards the lonelier part of the place. "I think he's up to something!" Should I call the police?! �" his voice revealed minor fear and caution.

"There's no need for it!" I'll take care of it Andi! But thanks for telling me! - he answered carelessly, casually.

Most customers still took possession of the colorful assortment of most well-stocked bookshelves with cultural curiosity and greedy interest. And when they were there, they didn't forget to mention that everyone who wanders into the store can receive a 20 percent discount almost every day and other promising promotions. Most of the customers hardly even noticed the strange man, who was stumbling hesitantly, lost, and visibly shy, and it was obvious that he was consuming himself.

The owner unpacked her belongings and belongings for the day in her closed office, which was located directly next to the store's storage area, and then carefully approached the man from behind.

- Forgive me! Sorry! What do you command?! he called out in a slightly menacing tone for the sake of caution. After all, crime for a living now reigns supreme, and one can never be too careful.

The man was truly amazed and could not spit or swallow when he had to make eye contact with perhaps the most radiant, exotic pair of eyes in the world.

"Uh... welcome... I wanted to talk to you about a lot of things..." he groaned. This was definitely included in at least twenty minutes. He secretly prepared to show the hidden treasures of his stuffed briefcase, but rather waited to see what the rather surprised young shop lady had to say about it all.

"Well... that's interesting... so, if I've taken your word for it correctly, you want to have a face-to-face conversation with me?" - he crossed his arms in front of him, as if he were waiting for an honest answer, but at the same time extremely curious. "Then maybe we should go to the office!" We can talk there! Come!

The half-hearted, insecure man had to be coaxed a lot, since he didn't trust anyone. After barely ten minutes, he obediently followed the strangely smiling shop owner.

They entered a pleasantly furnished office, where again one could only see books, where only the eye could see. As one looked around the almost bite-sized, rather cramped place, the researcher wandered everywhere, his wandering gaze saw new volumes wrapped in white foil lined up in orderly, military order. Last time, when the man visited the editorial office of the Magyar Napló on Ferenc körút, he at least hoped that a dedicated editor would present him with at least a volume of prose or poetry, but he had to be disappointed, because he was given a mere promise: that they would review all his writings and will be notified later. However, this did not happen, and the years passed disastrously.

"Take a seat!" I'm Aliz Somogyi! - invited the owner kindly. "Can I offer you a cup of coffee or a soft drink...?" - he sat down in his large, comfortable office chair, where he could already keep an eye on the slightly suspicious man with his merciless eyes.

- Thank you very much! Antal Gudás! �" even though it wasn't his habit, he still sat down, since most people can feel threatened when walking around, and he didn't want that in the least right now. In fact, he wanted trust to be established between the two of them as soon as possible.

"I'm looking forward to what you brought?" - greedy curiosity shone from the lady's eyes, while she scanned the well-packed briefcase with her eyes.

The man carefully and slowly unpacked his own, individually designed books on the mahogany-colored table and waited for the effect, wondering what the lady would say, who, amazed and kind, already took one at a time in her hands and carefully turned it over and began to study it.

"Did you write all of this?" - he wondered, but it was evident that he was also happy to welcome another unknown writer.

The man half-heartedly nodded.

- I wrote more, but I was informed that your bookstore basically deals with the distribution of paper-based books... - he spoke the truth, but at the same time there was also a cautious fear that he might have done something very stupid, since usually this was followed by a series of rejections.

�" It's always a great pleasure when you can meet a new author! I sincerely congratulate you on your books! If I understand correctly, would you like me to help you sell, distribute, or market your specific volumes?

The man nodded again, a little too late, nestling. He never liked to ask for help, since he was taught from childhood that everyone has to solve their own problems.

�" What I can recommend is a commercial contract, in which sales and marketing are laid out in detail, and if we order from your volumes and they buy them, then of course we will immediately transfer the commission to your account. Can I help you with something more?

The man was afraid to make eye contact. And while some people consider it rude or ill-mannered if the other person does not look a person in the eye, the extremely modern and thoughtful owner understood precisely that the man sitting across from her had probably collected a little more than he should have suffered psychological wounds and suffering in his childhood, which he then failed to process properly.

�" Unfortunately, I have few financial resources at my disposal, but I would like to inquire if there are still reliable people in the book industry if I want to sign a contract with an affordable book publisher?!

The young owner became very sympathetic and began to be more and more impressed by the strange man's way of thinking. He leaned back in his comfortable office chair, then found a slightly thicker paper bag and handed it directly to the other hand, let him study it carefully.

- You will find everything in detail here! It would be great to have a fruitful collaboration with you in the near future, and I would like to invite you to record my next podcast about books, where we will basically talk about books and literature! I'm glad to meet you! he stood up and extended his hand. "Now please forgive me, but I have to make room for other obligations as well!"

"Oh!" I apologize! Thank you very much! �" The man stood up, carefully put his volumes back in his briefcase, then quickly turned out of the office, then out of the store.

One of the employees actually stormed into the owner's office and asked:

"Who do you think this strange person was?" Not a burglar?!

"I just met an undiscovered, talented writer!" - answered the owner accompanied by her mysterious smile.