New books start hitting stalls

New books have begun arriving at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair from the very start, although the pace is slightly slower than in previous years.
 Besides books published just ahead of the fair, the country’s largest festival for book lovers has seen the unveiling of around 96 new titles in the first four days, including 42 on Sunday – the highest in a single day this year.uthors and publishers say the turnout is not bad, considering the uncertainty following a group of publishers’ announcement that they would not participate in this year’s fair.
 They added that a growing number of visitors would encourage them to release new books slightly ahead of schedule.
 “Usually, we release new books in several phases, and readers wait for their desired titles until the third week of the fair. This year, we are bringing books out earlier, hoping for a strong response from readers,” said Arifur Rahman Nayeem, publisher of Oitijjhya, to the Daily Sun.
 Some 250 new books on 50 different subjects will also hit the Oitijjhya stall in this year’s fair, he added.
 However, authors are pleased to see the publishers’ enthusiasm in bringing new books out earlier.
 Eminent writer Afsana Begum said, “Response from some publishers this year is really inspiring. They are bringing new books early.   

As a result, readers will have more time to explore books and decide what to buy.”
This year, publishers have been bringing books on diverse issues and content. They have appreciated the readers’ interest in a variety of fields. Publisher of Somoy Prakashan Farid Ahmed said the habit of reading books hasn’t developed among the masses in the country, but the number of avid readers has increased significantly.
“There was a time when readers had interest in nothing but the novels and short stories. But things have changed, and now they search for variety, seeking books on diverse issues. Our long efforts for developing tasteful readers have finally succeeded,” he said.
The eminent publisher also stated that Somoy Prakashan is bringing out 60 new books, in addition to its 2,000 old books by over 500 authors published over the last 35 years.
On the fourth day of the book fair, a discussion programme titled “Remembrance: Hamiduzzaman Khan” was held at the main stage of the book fair at 3pm with Lalarukh Selim in the chair. Nasimul Khabir presented keynote paper while Ivy Zaman, wife of late sculptor Hamiduzzaman Khan, was present as a discussant. ABM Sohel Rashid discussed his new books at the Lekhok Bolchi stage on the day.