‘IT’s A SHAME’: Paul Theroux gestures at the ‘peripheral book fair launch’ on Tuesday. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

The Publishers and Booksellers Guild on Tuesday struggled to put together a roster of programmes involving foreign delegates who are in the city for Book Fair 2008.

The US consulate and British Council worked out a parallel schedule of programmes featuring their delegates.

The guild officials met representatives of US-Kolkata Literary Exchange (USKLE), which has organised the visits by 15 US delegates, and offered to hold events that would enable them to “connect” with the city. “It is difficult to present an alternative to interaction with book-lovers at the Book Fair venue. We have tried our best to chalk out a schedule,” said Tridib Chatterjee, the guild secretary.

Paul Theroux, who was to inaugurate the fair on Tuesday afternoon, instead inaugurated a “peripheral book fair” — a series of events at various city addresses — at American Center.

“It’s a shame, though I am not sure whose shame it is. A lot of people sharing an urge to connect with books have missed out on an opportunity to meet and mingle and that is surely a big disappointment. There is still a lot of intellectual activity and I don’t think there should be any reason to despair,” said the writer.

“The delegates have waived their lecture fees just to meet book-lovers from this part of the world. We want to reach out to as many as people as we can. We will also take the team to Santiniketan,” said Goutam Dutta, the executive director of USKLE.

British Council, too, has lined up programmes at hotels, clubs and universities for its Scottish guests.

The six ambassadors from Latin America, here to attend the Book Fair launch, spent the day exploring the city. After a stop at Coffee House, they went to Jorasanko Thakurbari, where students of Rabindra Bharati treated them to dance, vocal and sarod recitals.

“It was an emotional experience,” said Juan Alfredo Saavedra, the Columbian ambassador.