For the first time in the 49-year history of the International Kolkata Book Fair, there is a slim possibility of an official US pavilion coming up at the event this year, the organisers said on Saturday.

The fair will be held from January 22 to February 3 at the Central Park grounds in Salt Lake.

During its communication with US authorities here, the organiser was informed that there was a negligible chance of an official US pavilion being set up at the fair this year, Publishers and Booksellers’ Guild general secretary Tridib Chatterjee told PTI.

"We had written to the US authorities requesting their participation by setting up a pavilion at the fairgrounds. However, they wrote back, citing fund allocation issues for such an exercise this time," Chatterjee said.

The US pavilion had been a major attraction in previous editions, particularly among students, who would throng the area to browse publications, watch digital presentations and seek information about the country.

While Argentina is the theme country of the fair this year, several other nations, including the UK, Germany, France, Australia and Spain are participating.

"There will be over 1,000 stalls featuring large and small publishers and booksellers from the state, across the country and from different parts of the world, including several international publishers," Chatterjee said.

The US was the theme country of the book fair in 2011. An official response from the US authorities here is awaited.

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