James Joyce on the pot

He sits in contemplative mode in the courtyard of the building which houses the Library of Foreign Literature. Under socialism, this used to be the only place where readers could (after registering, being photographed etc.) go to read foreign, and therefore potentially hostile, literature.

Today the building houses (among other things) the American Centre which I visit often in order to use the excellent library of books and DVDs, and the British Council library, which is smaller and less welcoming, though still useful.

One relic of the building's socialist past is the no institution operating within it is allowed to charge anything. Membership is free and you do not even have to pay fines for keeping your "Patton" DVD or your copy of Evelyn Waugh's Diaries (see my blog about that) for two months rather than three weeks if, for example, you are away for a bit.