The 46th edition of the International Kolkata Book Fair will be inaugurated on January 30 with chief minister Mamata Banerjee doing the honours at Central Park or “Boi Mela Prangan” in Salt Lake.
Spain will be the focal theme country for the fair which will continue till February 12.
“About 22 lakh people visited the fair in 2021 and books worth Rs 23 crore were sold. Usually, around 20 countries participate in the fair. But this time we expect the number to go up,” said Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, president of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, the organisers of the book fair.
Senior officials of the Guild said a number of countries, including the US, Australia, the UK, France and several Latin American nations have already said they would be participating in the fair.
“The volume of business and the footfall of book lovers last time has inspired many to apply early for the next edition of the fair in 2023,” said Tridib Chatterjee, Guild’s general secretary.
“The literature festival during the fair will be held from February 9 to 11 with several sessions and panel discussions on films, literature, music and drama.”
Last time, 570 book stalls and 240 little magazine stalls were set up to accommodate all participants. This time the number of stalls would have to be increased to make room for several new entrants, Guild officials said.
A team of Guild officials will be visiting the venue in early December to identify the layout of the stalls and inspect the facilities on offer before laying the ground for the fair.
Officials from the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation are scheduled to join the team during the site inspections, officials said.
The ambassador of Spain to India Maria Ridao Dominguez, while inaugurating the logo of the focal country on Wednesday, said the country was keen to learn from India, particularly its authors and publishers.
“We not only respect your culture and the book fair but want to learn from it,” Dominguez said.
