A new English-language bookshop, called Rüütel & Matilda, has opened its doors in the Old Town of Tallinn, Estonia.
The store was opened by two book lovers, Ruta Nõmmela and Madis Mikkor.
“We wanted to start an independent second-hand bookshop with a really good selection of both fiction and non-fiction books that you would find in Helsinki, Brussels or Berlin. We looked long for a suitable space and finally found it in the heart of Tallinn Old Town,” Nõmmela said in a statement.
The main collection in the shop consists of books by writers like Michel Houellebecq, Richard Brautigan, Miranda July, Nancy Huston, Nicole Krauss and David Szalay. The non-fiction section is represented by authors Noam Chomsky, Slavoj Žižek, Byung-Chul Han and others.
The shop also has a special shelf for Estonian authors, translated into English, and a selection of brand-new titles.
The shop is run as an NGO with the larger aim of providing space for thought and contemplation. “We think that printed books and the art of reading are worth preserving and that digitalisation should not be heralded as a universal recipe of happiness,” Nõmmela added.
Rüütel & Matilda is open from Wednesday to Friday from 12 PM to 6 PM, Saturdays from 12 PM to 5 PM and Sundays from 12 PM to 4 PM at 4 Rüütli street, Tallinn.
Cover: Madis Mikkor and Ruta Nõmmela at their bookshop, Rüütel and Matilda. Photo by Riina Varol.
