Visitors browse at the book fair. Picture by Ripunjoy Das

Dibrugarh, Nov. 22: Pablo Neruda, Vikram Seth and Hiren Bhattacharyya rub shoulders in a delectable smorgasbord of literary flavours at the sun-soaked Chowkidinghee playground here.

After a spell of inclement weather, residents of this Upper Assam town are making a beeline for the playground, where the Dibrugarh book fair is being held for the fourth time.

The fair, organised by Milanjyoti Sangha in association with the All-Assam Publishers’ and Booksellers’ Association, entered the eighth day today. A member of the organising committee said books worth over Rs 40 lakh had already been sold.

The surprise bestseller at the fair, which ends on Sunday, is The New Millennium Pronouncing Anglo-Assamese Dictionary. As many as 700 copies of the dictionary, edited by Hiren Gohain, had gone off the shelves till yesterday.

“This is the first time that a dictionary has become the bestseller,” said an employee of Banalata, its publisher.

The other popular books are novels, essay collections and short-story compilations by Purobi Bormudoi, Anuradha Sarma Pujari and Dalimi Chaliha. Nearly 200 copies of Bormudoi’s short-story collection, Nirbachita Galpa, have been sold.

Going by sales figures, another novel that has been appreciated is Anuradha Sarma Pujari’s Kanchan. It has been printed five times since November 2001.

In the non-fiction category, Indibor Deuri’s Janagosthiya Samasya — Atit, Bartamaan Aaru Bhabishat, which focuses on ethnic problems, has elicited a good response from visitors to the fair. Bhupen Hazarika’s Jajabor, published by Bani Mandir, is equally popular because of the autobiographical elements in the book.

The absence of publishing giants like Asom Prakashan Parishad, National Book Trust, Lawyer’s Book Stall and Orient Longman has, however, disappointed bibliophiles.

Symposiums, competitions for children and cultural programmes have been included in the agenda to attract visitors. A special children’s programme, Shishuhotor Soitey Abela, will be held at 2.30 pm tomorrow. It is being touted as the fair’s “best attraction”.

If the reactions of the participating publishing and distribution houses are anything to go by, the hard work put in by the organisers has not gone to waste. A representative of Delhi-based Nayar Book House said, “The response to the fair has been good, but we hope to see more people next time.”