A Truly Significant Holiday - Passport magazine

Book
Swap
Club
text Dominic Esler
The English-speaking social scene in
Moscow has been enlivened by a
recent arrival. Since last October the
Book Swap Club, organised by Leyla
Korkelia, has brought together a large
number of people, both Russian and
foreign, who want to exchange books
and DVDs, make friends, and practice
their English in a relaxed and informal
environment. The Book Swap Club is held
at public venues in the centre of the city
every several weeks, usually on a Saturday
afternoon. And it is worth bearing
every element of its triple-barreled title
in mind, as Leyla explains: “Some people
may mistake it for book club, which we
are not. We do not come together to
discuss one single book that everyone in
the club has read. The idea is different.
We gather together to swap books and
to talk on any subjects. In other countries
book-swapping functions online, so
swappers don’t see each other. In our
case we communicate, and that is the
point. We are all different but friendly.
Also, no money is involved. No membership
fees, no obligations. People like to
be part of a club.”
As a social gathering the club has
been a great success. Although a large
amount of English-language material is
exchanged at every event, there is no
obligation to do so. Meetings often continue
late into the evening, sometimes
moving to other locations. According
to copyright lawyer Maria Bukharova,
“People create atmosphere and make
an event a success or not. So fortunately
in this case, despite the variety of the
backgrounds, nationalities, ages (and
maybe thanks to them) the whole ambi-
ence was just the right one, and I had a
very good time indeed.” Tim Adams, an
American engineer working in oilfield
services in Russia since 2000, echoes
these sentiments: “For sure the highlight
of the club is the wide cross section of
people and nationalities. The first meeting
I attended had eighteen people from
twelve nations. There are bankers, engineers,
journalists, accountants, teachers
and just about every other walk of life. It
makes the stories varied and the cultural
nuances very fun. And everyone has
been wonderful and cordial.”
The original meetings took place at
Costa Coffee, but the group quickly
outgrew the space available and has
since hopped between Starlite Diner,
new Philippine restaurant Wokstudio
Café, and, most recently, the NASA
library at the Hotel Volga, which was proposed
as a venue by NASA Intermediate
Computer Engineer and club member
Shawn Spradley. This location proved the
quirkiest yet: the NASA library shares a set
of rooms with the hotel gym, and it was
intriguing to see piles of books balanced
on exercise machines.
But with the number of attendees now
exceeding thirty, is the club in danger of
becoming a victim of its own success? Is
there a need for a larger, permanent
venue? Leyla remains unconcerned:
“The club doesn’t need a permanent
venue for the time being. The club is on
probation.” I put it to Leyla that, having
held eight successful events so far, the
probation time seems to have passed.
“Not for me. I think after a year of
functioning, we can be sure of its
prosperous future.” P
Out & About
The date and venue of the March event
have yet to be decided. Email Leyla at
bookswap.mow@gmail.com or keep an
eye on the following forums, where members
will also post lists of books on offer:
http://www.expat.ru/forum/
http://www.redtape.ru/forum/
http://www.meetup.com/Moscow-Book-
Swap-Club/
March 2009 45