Narratives

  • Romance Rules

    Top ten lists, trade publisher catalogues, internet sales figures, and new arrivals in mainstream shops, supermarkets, and department stores suggest that romance is the most popular literary genre in Slovakia.
  • Bestsellers

    Sales information and cover images for the top-selling periodicals and novels as well as figures indicating the rising popularity of the internet describe the popular print market.
  • Pocket Lit

    Various genres of cheap small-format literature from the ‘60s to 2009, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, and western.
  • Gold Mine

    In the small town of Leopoldov 40 minutes from Bratislava, a two-story labyrinth of rooms overflowing with a variety of twentieth-century books and magazines of all forms and genres.
  • Next Apache

    A unique café book shop on the edge of the old town in Bratislava offers popular previously-owned books in English, classic Slovak literature, periodicals, the internet, and more.
  • Games

    Word and number games are popular, as books or in periodical publications, and may be simple or complicated, educational, humorous, or otherwise.
  • Interior Design

    Bratislava offers everything from the dark old communist dens in the old town and one-room antikvariats hidden in the suburbs to the upscale chain shops in the malls and international media outlets in the city centre.
  • Window Shopping

    Shop windows provide an interesting reflection upon the book trade in Bratislava, including communist-era throwbacks, upmarket connections, and other more eclectic displays.
  • The Little Big City

    A brief visual tour of the capital city, with particular emphasis on the old town located at the heart of 'the little big city'.
  • Streetscapes

    A photo essay emphasizing the street in streetprint that provides images of several of the primary pathways in Bratislava.
  • Feature Interview: Slovak Publishing

    Interviews with prominent publishers describe the print and publishing industry in Slovakia.
  • Reading Lounges

    A few examples of obscure or odd aspects of the print industry, in particular, a beach lounge next to the Danube and an urban reading area set up in the old town.
  • Vendors & Vending

    Free-standing stalls that sell periodicals, cigarettes, candy, etc., ranging from abysmal, graffiti-laden metal boxes to the sleek, modern versions that grace the more fashionable byways.
  • Bricks & Mortar

    Descriptions of different shops and a sense of the diversity present, although perhaps soon to disappear, between the old sellers and modern chain stores.
  • Signage

    Bulletin boards, schedules, advertisements, billboards, street art, and graffiti comprise only some of the ‘categories’ that help to describe or at least include the plethora of signage throughout the city.
  • The Wild West

    A visual tour of the pocket western, before and after 1989, including variations in literary style, cover art, source language, pricing, advertising, length, introductions, and point-of-sale location.
  • Daily Digressions

    Sex, violence, entertainment ... and a little news. Print dailies are among the most popular print items in Slovakia.
  • Something for Everyone

    Food, games, daily life, sports, westerns, how to choose a baby name, travel, history, classic literature, chic lit, science fiction, mystery, technology, spiritual, self-help, home, health...
  • For the Kids

    Books for school, children's stories, and comics; a small sample of print artifacts for children, including Czech comics that come with a toy of some sort that were popular at some press outlets.
  • The Matkin Mystery

    Maxim E. Matkin is the pseudonym used by the as yet unidentified author of a number of novels particularly popular with young women in Slovakia.
  • Weekly for Women (mostly)

    While there are several magazines of a more open cast which combine politics and a significant portion of culture (music, books, etc), the weekly periodical market is dominated by artifacts designed for women.
  • Monthly Self-improvement

    The monthly magazine is generally more expensive and emphasizes self-improvement with points of interests to individuals and families, including food, home, social issues, and gardening.
  • Feature Interview: Sellers

    Five interviews with prominent sellers in Bratislava offer important information, stories, and opinions about the print and publishing industry in Slovakia.
  • Feature Interview: Slovak Periodicals

    Interviews with the editors of two major periodicals about their own publications, the print and publishing industry, and the future of print in Slovakia.
  • Feature Interview: Bestselling Author

    An informative and entertaining interview in English with a best-selling Slovak author about the book industry, popular fiction, and reading in Slovakia.