Atlantis Books, Oia, Santorini

The donkeys first led me to it! 

Patient, disciplined beasts travelling in a single file on the enchanting, narrow, cobble stoned streets of Oia, they were led by minders who were slightly less disciplined though a lot more spirited! Buoyantly calling out greetings in Hindi (they turned out to be Pakistani labourers) they gambolled on the road, cheerfully occupying all of it, so that stepping hastily back (and almost falling headlong down a flight of stairs) I stumbled across this enchanting wonderland of a bookstore, appropriately christened ‘Atlantis’. 

Oh Atlantis with your romantic name evoking lost worlds, and your whimsical location inside one of the cave houses carved into the bowels of the earth, how easy it is to lose yourself in your depths and let the world outside sprint along at its relentless pace, while one enjoys a moment (or a few months or years of relative calm)! Clearly others agree as the store is often manned by students and young people from across the world who work and live there, sleeping in beds built above the shelves.

 

The bookstore was first conceived as a wine-fuelled glimmer in the eyes of two friends vacationing in Santorini back in 2002 when the new millennium was young and dreams were boundless. They returned a couple of years later along with a multi-national gang of friends to breathe life into this particular dream, and Atlantis bookstore opened its doors in 2004. I visited the bookstore when the new millennium was no babe in arms but a strapping youth almost in its twentieth year, but that spirit of fresh, youthful optimism remains. At the same time, like much else in beloved Greece, it retains a sense of timelessness and agelessness, like some bookstore version of a unicorn, sprinkling its fairy dust on anybody fortunate enough to pass through its doors.

 

Atlantis lies nestled inside a two-room underground structure cut into the sides of a cliff. This is by no means a unique concept in Oia as the profusion of ‘cave hotels’, combining subterranean living with above-the-surface private hot tubs offering expansive and breath-taking views of the Mediterranean, will testify. This ‘little bookstore with a big heart’ as I like to think of it, however offers something more than the admittedly gorgeous-never-tire-of-them views. It’s a veritable Aladdin’s cave of literary treasures, with floor to ceiling bookshelves offering bibliophiles, gems in several different languages and spanning the works of authors, dramatists and poets from ancient times to modern. I like to pick up literature from the countries I visit; little slices of local living, thought and colour to bring back home with me and new literary demi-Gods to add to my personal pantheon. My finds at Atlantis included ‘Little Infamies’ Greek author Panos Karnezis’ debut book of bitter-sweet short stories set in a fictional Greek village. The tales are delightful and distressing by turn, but each presenting universal truths about the human condition in a non-preachy ‘well this is life way’.

 

And if the book-lover would like to spend a few hours exploring the volumes on offer, then there is no better place to loiter than Atlantis! The décor is quirky, whimsical and like the bookstore itself, usually has an interesting, often heart-warming story attached to it. Take for instance, the word spiral painted on the ceiling made up of the first names of the various people who have worked in the store over the years. Or the ‘Rent-A-Cat’ sign with the cat dozing next to it. Said cat had however aligned herself firmly with the ‘Greek Interest’ section during my visit and refused to change her loyalties, for visitor and wannabe renters alike!    

                       

The terrace above the bookstore offers magnificent views of the sea and Oia’s famed blue and white architecture and is a wonderful location for the store’s special events including the Caldera Arts and Literature Festival which offered everything from author readings to culinary exhibits celebrating the local cuisine.

The pandemic has led to disastrous consequences for many independent businesses and indie bookstores have been no exception. The Atlantis digital properties have been silent over the past couple of years and visitors who are trickling back to Santorini report that the bookstore appears to be closed. However as indie bookstores like Paris’ iconic Shakespeare and Company and Mumbai’s beautiful Kitab Khana, the sites of my past or planned pilgrimages, slowly reopen their doors; I wish upon a star and say a silent prayer for Atlantis to welcome visitors again.

Words are a precious gift granted to humankind, our ability to narrate and share stories one of the great unifying factors in a history otherwise full of differences and conflicts. Spaces like Atlantis don't just house the collective stories of generations, they help to create new ones for future ages. I hope I'll get to walk through its doors again on some balmy Aegean afternoon; I'll just steer clear of the donkeys' path this time!