Guwahati: Asam Sahitya Sabha has begun translating and publishing around 20 books, written by prominent authors from across the globe, through its translation institute.

The Sabha, in June 2015, had formed the Assam Institute of Translation - Asam Sahitya Sabha to translate the best literary works of the world into Assamese.

In July this year, the institute published three books - East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Art of War by Sun Tzu and The Stranger by Albert Camus.

A booklet, published by the Sabha, said among the books to be published are selected short stories written between 1700 and 1900 (in four parts), The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple, The Moon and Sixpence and Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham, The Woman of Rome by Alberto Moravia and Ten Thousand Miles Without A Cloud by Sun Shuyun.

Besides, selected Assamese short stories and poems written in the past 100 years will also be published in English.

Sabha president Dhruba Jyoti Borah proposed establishing the translation institute in the Sabha's Kaliabor session in 2015 to create a "silent revolution in Assamese literature". It began work with Rs 50 lakh donated by the Oil India Limited.

The booklet said the Sabha has been asking for funds from the state government to publish its books. "But barring 2016-17, the state government has never given any funds," it said.

As the Sabha does not have a printing press, it depends on private publishing houses. It is yet to give more than Rs 15 lakh to different publishing houses to publish its books. The Sabha hopes that once it forms Rs 10 crore corpus fund, it will be able to overcome its financial problem in publishing books.

The booklet also clarifies some issues for which the Sabha has been facing criticism and its stand on the National Register of Citizens update process.