Argentine Bookstore Hid 235K Books From Dictatorship
Why this is here: The bookstore’s co-founder, Emilce García, nearing 100 years old, reacted to a video about the hidden books by saying, “Dios mío, otra vez los libros” ("My God, the books again"), revealing the enduring trauma and significance of the censorship.
A bookstore in Buenos Aires secretly hid over 235,000 books from censorship during Argentina’s 1976-1983 dictatorship. The Librería Hernández family created a hidden passage behind a false wall in their basement. They worked for six months to move books deemed "subversive" before the coup.
Damián Carlos Hernández, the bookstore’s founder, anticipated a crackdown due to prior imprisonment. His daughters and friends helped conceal the books. Police raided the store in 1977, discovering the hidden room and seizing thousands of titles.
The bookstore reopened in 1977, and the family later exiled to Uruguay. Today, the Librería Hernández exhibits the censored books to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coup and honor the memory of those who frequented the shop.