Novel tops choice list
The Ekushey Book Fair started gaining momentum, drawing good crowd and witnessing good sales as well on the ninth day on Wednesday.
Visitors, who were just thumbing through new arrivals, also started buying books, publishers said, adding that novel was on top of the selling list, followed by volumes of poems.
Books of short-stories, meant for children, are also on high demand, they added.
According to the fair information centre, the number of new arrivals increased, compared with the last three days, as 125 new titles hit the fair on the day while the same office reported arrival of 97 books on February 6, 106 on February 7 and 66 on February 8.
Stall attendants of Anya Prakash, Srabon, Oitijjjhya, Adorn, Agami and many others said like the previous years novels was on the top choice of the readers followed by poetry collection, short-stories, juvenile literatures, essays and titles on liberation war.
Attendants at the Bangla Academy stall said along with different types of dictionaries, many old books on 50 per cent commission were also attracting the visitors.
Afjal Hossain, stall attendant of the Oitijjhya, said as the book fair was progressing towards the middle and some special days would be observed within the next week, the fair was now gaining momentum.
Stall attendants of other publishers echoed him.
Shawkat Hossain, a Dhaka University student, said he was visiting the fair almost every day since its opening and had bought two novels so far.
‘People started buying books as many new titles had hit the fair,’ he said.
Meanwhile, sales of the books, published abroad and published by other publications, continued at the stalls set up outside the Bangla Academy premises in the absence of vigilance at the fair venue.
Collection of poems led the tally of new arrivals on the day with 25 titles followed by 23 novels, 10 collections of stories and nine titles on liberation war and language movement, and others.
Nine books were launched at Nazrul Mancha of the fair.
As part of the month-long discussion on the life and works of Rabindranath Tagore, the academy held a seminar titled ‘Rabindra nather Roman-tikata O Adhunik Kabitar Dwandwa’. Ashim Shaha read out the keynote paper while Siddika Mahmuda, Abdus Selim and Ahmed Reza took part in the discussion presided over by Hayat Mamud.
The academy will today hold a seminar titled ‘Rabindranather Gaan Lalitakalar Amrita’. Nural Anwar will read out
the keynote paper while Mridul Kanti Chakraborty, Rezwana Chowdhury Banya, Shila Momen will take part in the discussion.
Retired justice Tafazzul Islam will preside over the programme.
A cultural programme will follow the discussion.
