José Alberto Gutiérrez is a garbage man from Colombia. His impressive story has traveled the world!
While at work, Jose found a copy of the Russian novel “Anna Karenina” and thought about keeping it. He knew that most people love books in their classic format, and he began to like them too. He continued to collect discarded books and set up a real library.
The Colombian, a garbage man by trade, noticed that people used to throw books. Twenty years have passed since finding “Anna Karenina”, during which time Jose has managed to collect no less than 25,000 abandoned books, some of them, to be sure, from donations.
“When I realized that people were throwing away the novels, I started saving them,” the man confesses.
Currently, the Colombian stores them in his own house, which has become a library where people can get their books for free.
And, if his story wasn’t impressive enough, the library serves to help children in Bogota who can’t afford to buy the books they need at school.
The library has been in operation since 2000, and the man has earned an Oscar-worthy nickname: “The Lord of the Books.”
Inspired by his own story, Jose, who did not finish school as a child, is now studying to take his final school graduation exams.