A debate among many bibliophiles visiting the International Kolkata Book Fair over the years has been the popularity of the foreign publication pavilions versus those belonging to English and vernacular publishing houses in India. While some may argue that such books are freely available online or offline all through the year, others find this annual festival as a one-time opportunity of being exposed to rare books authored by foreign writers. My Kolkata checks out what’s on offer at the ‘F’ block this year. At F11, the perennial favourite Russia stall entices bibliophiles to step inside and check out interesting reads and black-and-white photographs
Photographs by Soumyajit Dey
At the F3 and F4 Peru stall, one book that is grabbing eyeballs of bibilophiles is ‘Tinkuy’ by Josefina Barrón. ‘Tinkuy’ means ‘encounter’ in Quechua, an indigenous language of the Andes Mountains in South America. This book is pure image and gives an account of the beauty captured by photographers who portray Peru from all possible lights
Spain was chosen as the guest of honour at the 2023 Kolkata Book Fair. This year, the F2 stall has interesting reads like ‘Pintura Cuzquena’, which presents high-quality photographs of 158 Spanish colonial paintings produced in the Cusco region of Peru, spanning the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, featuring descriptions and critical commentary by specialists
Germany has been selected as the focal country for the first time in the history of the book fair. The pavilion was designed to celebrate the theme of "Shelf Life" and the relationship between books, light, and memories. For readers who are interested in German literature, the pavilion is a good place to note down the titles. A book named ‘Indien Und Siene Menschen’, which translates into ‘India and Siene people’ has interested several bibliophiles this time
The United Kingdom (UK) has been the theme country of the International Kolkata Book Fair in 1998, 2009, 2015, and 2024 and remains close to the hearts of Kolkatans. The pavilion is known to showcase UK’s culture, education and arts through various kinds of presentations. The British Council helps strengthen its relationship with India and promotes cultural exchange. Find it at F6 this year
