Md Moniruzzaman :
About 27.65 percent (13 crore) increase in sales was observed at the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2024 compared to the previous year, as this year’s event attracted book enthusiasts from the onset.
The book fair, organized by Bangla Academy, witnessed sales exceeding Tk 60 crore this year, a significant rise from Tk 47 crore last year and Tk 52 crore in 2022. This surge in sales provided publishers with a much-needed respite from the reduced buyer numbers seen during the Covid and pre-Covid periods.
Bangla Academy itself reported book sales amounting to Tk 1.36 crore over 30 days from its four pavilions, slightly up from Tk 1.33 crore in 2022 and Tk 1.35 crore previously.
The 31-day-long book fair concluded on Sunday, marking the release of 3,751 new titles and attracting nearly 60 lakh visitors, as recorded by the entrance gate archways, according to Bangla Academy’s data.
Dr. Sahed Mantaj, Deputy Director of Administration Sub-Division at Bangla Academy, announced this year’s sales figures and provided an overview of the fair during the closing ceremony held on the Bangla Academy premises.
The Ekushey Book Fair, the country’s largest, drew an impressive crowd of visitors, readers, writers, and book aficionados who gathered to purchase their favorite books and enjoy the festivities.
In terms of genre popularity, poetry led with 1,262 publications out of the total 3,751 new titles, followed by novels with 544 publications, and storybooks in third place with 531 publications, as per Bangla Academy.
Other genres included essays (233 publications), biographies (134), rhymes (106), research (76), Liberation War-related (69), history (64), children’s novels (71), travel (64), translations (61), science (44), science fiction (36), compositions (29), religious books (33), comics (31), dramas (34), books about Bangabandhu (27), political books (29), health-related books (29), and dictionaries (19), alongside 222 publications in various other categories.
Furthermore, a total of 3,730 new titles were published in 2023, showing a steady increase from 3,416 in 2022, 2,640 in 2021, and a decrease from 4,919 books in 2020.
The welcome speech was delivered by Bangla Academy’s Director General, Mohammad Nurul Huda, who expressed satisfaction with the event’s success.
The closing ceremony featured Prime Minister’s Adviser for Education and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, as the chief guest.
Additionally, State Minister for Cultural Affairs Nahid Izhar Khan and Secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Khalil Ahmed were present as special guests, with the event presided over by the academy’s president, Selina Hossain.
