Dhaka Book Fair ends tomorrow
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Mehdi Musharraf Bhuiyan
Thirteen days into the Dhaka International Book Fair 2009, the annual event, focused on books and book lovers, has remained a mere routine event. This year too it failed to draw much visitors. The 15-day fair, organised by Jatiya Grontho Kendra (National Book Centre) in the capital concludes tomorrow.
Like on the days after its opening on 11 December, the fair yesterday saw a motely of leisurely visitors, lacking the enthusiasm that marks the Amor Ekushey Book Fair at Bangla Academy. However, like in the previous years, a few avid book lovers were seen roaming the spacious fair ground looking for rare books at different stalls. Every year, only a handful of new books come out marking the fair.
The Dhaka International Book Fair 2009 has experienced low turnout since the opening day. The participating publishing houses say they have tried to keep the books' prices at an affordable level due to a lukewarm response from the buyers despite the rising printing cost.
Although a regular feature in the city's annual literary-cultural scene since the mid-nineties, the fair has yet to generate the expected popular warmth due mainly to the constant change of the event's venue from year to year, participants and organisers said.
A total of 161 leading publishing houses are taking part in this year's book fair at Suhrawardy Uddyan in the city.
"This year, the selection of the fair venue got delayed by almost two months as the Dhaka University Ground we used in 2008 was not available this year due to unavoidable circumstances," Rafiq Azad, an eminent poet and Director of National Book Centre, told FE.
"Because of that, we could not make proper arrangements with the overseas participants this year, who constitute a major attraction of this fair," he added.
Last year, publishing houses from five different countries, apart from the local ones, participated in the Dhaka International Book Fair. But this year, only two countries -- India and Iran -- are taking part in the event.
Local participants also said that compared to the annual Ekushey Book Fair held in February each year, the Dhaka Book Fair over the years could achieve little in meeting their expectations in terms of sales and turnout, which they blamed on the lack of wide publicity and the absence of a permanent venue.
Thirteen days into the Dhaka International Book Fair 2009, the annual event, focused on books and book lovers, has remained a mere routine event. This year too it failed to draw much visitors. The 15-day fair, organised by Jatiya Grontho Kendra (National Book Centre) in the capital concludes tomorrow.
Like on the days after its opening on 11 December, the fair yesterday saw a motely of leisurely visitors, lacking the enthusiasm that marks the Amor Ekushey Book Fair at Bangla Academy. However, like in the previous years, a few avid book lovers were seen roaming the spacious fair ground looking for rare books at different stalls. Every year, only a handful of new books come out marking the fair.
The Dhaka International Book Fair 2009 has experienced low turnout since the opening day. The participating publishing houses say they have tried to keep the books' prices at an affordable level due to a lukewarm response from the buyers despite the rising printing cost.
Although a regular feature in the city's annual literary-cultural scene since the mid-nineties, the fair has yet to generate the expected popular warmth due mainly to the constant change of the event's venue from year to year, participants and organisers said.
A total of 161 leading publishing houses are taking part in this year's book fair at Suhrawardy Uddyan in the city.
"This year, the selection of the fair venue got delayed by almost two months as the Dhaka University Ground we used in 2008 was not available this year due to unavoidable circumstances," Rafiq Azad, an eminent poet and Director of National Book Centre, told FE.
"Because of that, we could not make proper arrangements with the overseas participants this year, who constitute a major attraction of this fair," he added.
Last year, publishing houses from five different countries, apart from the local ones, participated in the Dhaka International Book Fair. But this year, only two countries -- India and Iran -- are taking part in the event.
Local participants also said that compared to the annual Ekushey Book Fair held in February each year, the Dhaka Book Fair over the years could achieve little in meeting their expectations in terms of sales and turnout, which they blamed on the lack of wide publicity and the absence of a permanent venue.