Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1078587
122 BAL HARBOUR MAN OF LETTERS Mitchell Kaplan is a pioneer of literary culture in Miami. Now, the founder of Books & Books is finding that same success with film. BY LES STANDIFORD PORTRAIT BY GESI SCHILLING THE FAMED AND OFTEN VERY FUNNY crime writer Elmore "Dutch" Leonard once opined during a Miami reading that "the chances of getting your book turned into a movie are about the same as drawing a picture of a car and sending it to the head of General Motors, asking 'don't you want to make one of these?'" But if Mitchell Kaplan, owner of South Florida's iconic Books & Books, was listening, he wasn't listening very closely. Kaplan has spent the past 36 years building a set of successful LÃÌÀiÃ>`V>viÃ]VÕ`}Ìiy>}ëÃÌÀi À>>Lià and outposts in Miami Beach, the Bal Harbour Shops, Grand >Þ>]>ÌiÀ>Ì>ƂÀ«ÀÌ]ÌiƂ`ÀiiƂÀÃÌ iÌiÀ] *iVÀiÃÌ] VÕÌÀÛi>`iÞ7iÃÌ°i>Üi]i>Ã>à labored to nurture the largest book festival of its kind, the Miami >À ÌiÀ>Ì>] ÜiÀi Õ«Ü>À`à v xää ÌiÀ>Ì>Þ known authors jostle each November with hundreds of thousands of residents along the closed city streets. Kaplan's combined endeavors have had a profound impact Õ«ÌiVÕÌÞ°7iÌÃÜÀÌiÀwÀÃÌÜiÌ>LÀ>`Ìii>ÀÞ £näÃ>`iÌÌLiÜÜiÀiiÜ>ÃvÀ]>Ã̽Ã`ii>À ÜÕ`ÌÀ>ÃvÀÃÌ>ÌÞ]LÌ>`ÃÃÕ``iÞÌÕÀi`Ìw}iÀ «Ì}«ÃÌðºƂ]ÞiÃ]iÞ>ii°iÞ>ii6Vit >} L>}t» Kaplan's work creating the stores, as well as his efforts >}Ã`i>>`i i}i½Ã`Õ>À`*>`ÀLÕ`}Ìi Book Fair, have transformed Miami's current image into that of an internationally known literary center. No New York publisher would design a major book tour without including a stop in Miami these `>ÞÃ]>>Ài`V>}ivÀ>«>½ÃwÀÃÌÞi>À𠺽`V>Õ««ÕLVÃÌà iÜ9À]Li}}}ÌiÌÃi`Õà writers, and there would always be this pause," Kaplan says. "Then w>ÞÌiÞ½`ViL>V]ÃÕ}}iÃÌ}LÃÀiÌÀiiÌ«>} >`LiÃÌ«À>VÌViÃ}iÀ>ÌÀVi`Vi°»>ÃÌvÀÜ>À`£xÞi>ÀÃÀ ÃÌ£È]ÜiÀiÌ>£]xääv>ÃÃÌ`i> i>V to get the signatures of 13 Miami mystery writers who combined ÌiÕiÞLiÃÌÃiiÀ Naked Came the Manatee]ÀÌÓää{] ÜiVÀÜ`ÃV>«i`ÕÌÛiÀ}ÌÌiÃÌÀiiÌÃv À>>LiÃ] `iëiÀ>ÌiÌLiivÌiÓ]äääÕVÞiÕ}Ì}iÌ Ì½Ã signature on My Life. -iiÌÀi«ÀiiÕÀÃ}ÌLiÃ>ÌÃwi`ÜÌ>ÃÕV]LÕÌÌ >«>]Üi>ÀÞviÕ`iÀÃÌ`Ì>ÌLÃÜiÀiÃV>}°º ÌÀi`>ÜÃV]»iÃ>ÞÃ]ÀiviÀÀ}Ì>ÃÌÌ>ÌƂÌV-Vv >Ü7>Ã}Ì]° °]º>`ViÀi>âi`Ì>ÌÜ>ÃÌ}}Ì ÜÀvÀi]Ì>Õ}Ì}ÃÌi«ÕLVÃVð ÕÌ>>} Ü>ÃLÃiÃÃi`ÜÌ}iÌÌ}«i«iÌÀi>`}`ÃÌÕvv°``½ÌÌ Ü>ÃVÕÌÕÌÌLi>ÜÀÌiÀ]LÕÌÌÕ}ÌÌ>ÌÜ}>LÃÌÀi would be just about the greatest thing." He put everything he could scrape together into a small corner store half a block from today's iconic Gables location, and everything grew from there. 7ÌÌ>Ì`]>«>½ÃÃÌÀiViÌÛiÌÕÀip>Ã>w «À`ÕViÀp}ÌÌÃiiÕVv>`ÛiÀ}iVi°ºƂÌiÃiÞi>Àà ½`LiÀi>`}Õ`Ài`Ã>`Õ`Ài`ÃvLÃ]»iiÝ«>Ã]º>` iÛiÀÞVi>ÜiÜÕ`Vi>VÀÃÃiÌ>ÌÜ>ÃViÀÌ> could make a very good movie." 7i> iÜ9Ài`ÌÀ>`i`>>`Û>ViV«Þv>ÀÞ Ƃ->vviÀ>`Ƃi >ÀÀÜýÃThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie SocietyÓään]>«>w>Þ>VÌi`ÃÃÌVÌð" Ìi>`ÛVivÃÃÃÌiÀ]/6«À`ÕViÀ>ÀVÞ,ÃÃ]iÃÕ}ÌÕÌiÀ w«À`ÕViÀvÀi`*>Õ>>âÕÀÜÀi>`ÌiL>`>}Àii` ÜÌ>«>°ii«}ÜÌÕÌVi>À`½ÃµÕ«]Ì̺޻£ä Þi>ÀÃÌ«ÕÌÌ>Ì}iÌiÀ]LÕÌÌiw]`ÀiVÌi`LÞ>Ü>À`Ü} i iÜi]`iLÕÌi` iÌyÝÌë>ÃÌƂÕ}ÕÃÌ]>ÌÌÀ>VÌ}Ài Ì>££ÛiÜiÀÃÌëi}`>ÞðÌÜ>ÃÌiÃiV`Àii>Ãi vÀÌi>âÕÀ>«> «>Þ\>ÃÌ ÀÃÌ>Ã>ÌiÀ>`>«Ì>Ì V>«i`LÞ>«>pThe Man Who Invented Christmas, starring > -ÌiÛià >` ÀÃÌ«iÀ *ÕiÀ >à LiiâiÀ -VÀ}ip «>Þi`i>ÀÞ£]äääÌi>ÌiÀÃÌÀÕ}ÕÌÌi1°-°>`>LÀ>`° /iÀi >Ài >v > `âi Ài w «ÀiVÌà µÕiÕi` Õ« vÀ >«>>`>âÕÀ]i>LÕÌÌÜÀ>«Õ«ÃÌ} iÛi>`] LÕÌ>«>>ë>ÃÌ`iV>«>vÀÞÜ`°º½> >>ÌÀÕ}>`ÌÀÕ}]»iÃ>ÞðºƂ`>}ÛiÃÃÕÃÌ >iÝÌiÃvÜ>̽ÛiLii`}>Þvi°»iÌÌ}Ìiº}` stuff" in front of people.