Where? Bordeaux, France
Visited in: August 2008
We didn't head for Bordeaux in search of bookstores and we definitely didn't expect to find one like this. La Mauvaise Réputation is a bookstore unlike any other in our Guide so far, the only rated R bookstore to be precise, and we wouldn't be surprised at all if it stayed like that for some time to come. La Mauvaise Réputation translates as The Bad Reputation, and there's also an old French folk song which goes by the same name and which may have inspired the owners. As George Brassens sings with his unique style in his track from 1953 "No, the good folks don't like it when you follow a different path than them" (Non les brav's gens n'aiment pas que l'on suive une autre route qu'eux...) and that's exactly what the owners of this bookstore have decided to do. And we're quite sure that their reputation and what the good folks think of them are one of the last things on their minds.
To explain, this bookstore specializes in everything which can be filed under the category weird, alternative or even obscene: its stock contains books on all imaginable forms of body art (tattoos, piercings, and a few more you didn't even know existed), modern and postmodern art, street art, eroticism (novels, photobooks, and even comic books), gay and lesbian issues, literature noir, an interesting selection of graphic novels, books on graphic design and less promoted forms of visual arts in general, fiction from the romans noir category and lots of other stuff. Another impressive factor about the stock of this bookstore is its origin - rare titles imported from the United States, Japan or Great Britain, mostly issued by small publishing houses. And most importantly for our Guide, this considerable part of the bookstore's offer is in English.
To explain, this bookstore specializes in everything which can be filed under the category weird, alternative or even obscene: its stock contains books on all imaginable forms of body art (tattoos, piercings, and a few more you didn't even know existed), modern and postmodern art, street art, eroticism (novels, photobooks, and even comic books), gay and lesbian issues, literature noir, an interesting selection of graphic novels, books on graphic design and less promoted forms of visual arts in general, fiction from the romans noir category and lots of other stuff. Another impressive factor about the stock of this bookstore is its origin - rare titles imported from the United States, Japan or Great Britain, mostly issued by small publishing houses. And most importantly for our Guide, this considerable part of the bookstore's offer is in English.
Besides being a bookstore with a very specific focus, La Mauvaise Réputation, celebrating its 6th anniversary this year, also serves as a gallery, and the walls of the bookstore and especially the whole backroom serve as showcases for its regular exhibitions. It won't come as a surprise that works of art which find their way to this space are quite provoking to say at least. La Mauvaise Réputation is not an average bookstore, and it doesn't intend to please everyone. It goes so far beyond the line where normal bookstores stop, that the line becomes invisible. This bookstore is dark, it's stuffed with words, thoughts and images full of sex, freedom to express yourself and be different, provocation, alternatives, courage and beauty in all forms. Still, the final result is anything but cheap and vulgar, and the owners deserve a lot of credit for that. We were definitely impressed...
La Mauvaise RéputationAddress:
19 rue des Argentiers
33000 Bordeaux
Website: http://www.lamauvaisereputation.net
Phone and Email:
05 56 79 73 54
contact@lamauvaisereputation.net
Working Hours:
Mon-Sat 10-19
Back to the list of bookstores in Bordeaux
1 comment:
well...i am impressed, thanks for your visit and your report. Makes me think i will have at last a good reputation... Take care. Rudolf Urbs, La Mauvaise Reputation
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