This story begins with a young man, a rug, and nine books. He spreads the rug out under the shade of a lone tree and sets the books out in a neat little display to catch the eye of passersby. A few stray cats amble up and silently lie down beside him. As people walk past, he picks a book up, begins to read it and is instantly transported to another world.
This makeshift bookstore is the 16 year old’s rebellion against his childhood, his poverty, and his situation: orphaned at six, making ends meet since then by fishing, paying for his own schooling but still coming up a little short. A hard life. The textbooks he needs to continue his schooling are simply too expensive. But this rug and these books constitute a new beginning for him. His name is Mohamed Aziz and this young man’s bookshop has endured to this day.
After a few years of scrappy, steady growth, Mohamed was able to spread his rug out in his own little shop in the medina of Rabat, Morocco. The “store” measure only 5’x5’ but holds a wealth of titles ranging from tabloid magazines to medical textbooks and Mohamed has read every single one of them. His stall and passion for book have remained there since 1967, making him one of the oldest living booksellers in the world. Mohamed is now 73 and has reportedly read over 4,000 books during his time manning his bookshop. “I have lived over 4,000 lives,” he has said of his time spent reading.
Mohamed is fluent in French, Arabic, Spanish, and English. He sits at his shop reading for most of his 12-hour shifts, only taking breaks to help customers or make a cup of tea. But when it’s closing time, he doesn’t bring his books in or even lock the doors. When asked about why he leaves his trove of books out all night, he coolly replied, “Those who can’t read don’t steal books and those that can aren’t thieves.”
Mohamed is the embodiment of a lifelong learner and is eager to share his passion for learning with the people he encounters. He said that he’ll be there “until everyone learns to read.” He truly wants everyone to have the chances that he didn’t have. Only two things anger him: books missing pages and children who have to work instead of studying.
When asked how many books he has amassed over his 60+ years as a bookseller, Mohammed simply said, “not enough.”
I came across Mohamed’s story while scrolling aimlessly online, and my first thought was, “I want to go to Rabat!" My next thought was, “I must paint him!” My family and I are lovers of books, and the thought of an old-school bookseller lounging in the doorway in front of towering, endless stacks of books was just too good not to paint. Thus began the process that eventually led to the creation of the large-scale piece titled The Bookseller.
The Bookseller | 72x36 inches | acrylic, watercolor & kraft paper on stained maple panel | $6400
Most of my paintings in The Jobs of Yesteryear hark back to former times, often stretching back centuries to look at workers of the distant past. Occasionally, I will remain closer to the present, such as when I paint baseball players from the past century. Rarely do I paint a current worker, but Mohamed is nothing if not exceptional, and his story is just that good.
Brick-and-mortar bookstores are increasingly rare in the age of online shopping, and admittedly, I am as guilty as anyone of buying cheap used books from online retailers. But I also love visiting The Book Nook in Saugatuck to see what Sheryl has on display, and my family looks forward to the used book sale in Suttons Bay every year. We also relished our time in one of the most famous bookstores in the world, the illustrious Livraria Lello in Porto. A visit to a bookstore is always worth it, if only just to browse.
Livraria Lello
So beautiful and so packed with people
The boys with their book purchases
from the most beautiful bookstore in the world.
Bookstores (and libraries for that matter) are pure magic, and Mohamed Aziz’s stall is this magic in its purest form. I hope to visit him someday and peruse his pile. Long live the bookstores!