Book fair season is here and here’s the update on all book fairs and literature festivals set to take place in the next two months.
Assam Book Fair
The 12-day Assam Book Fair began at the Assam Institute of Engineering grounds at Chandmari in Guwahati from 29 December 2023. Jointly organized by the Publication Board, Assam, and All Assam Book Publishers and Sellers Association, the book fair is also being held in smaller towns such as Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Silchar, and Haflong this year. The Assam Book Fair has been created by combining the Guwahati Book Fair and North East Book Fair. The third edition of the Assam Book Fair has over 100 publishers and booksellers from the state as well as New Delhi and West Bengal. Publishers from Bangladesh and Nepal are also participating in the fair. The fair was held till 9 January 2024.
Chennai Book Fair
The Chennai Book Fair was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin at the YMCA grounds in Nandanam on 3 January. The fair has 915 stands will will cater to book lovers and literary enthusiasts across different languages including Tamil and English. The Chennai International Book Fair, which was organized along with the Chennai Book Fair, will take place from 16 – 18 January 2024.
Goa Book Fair
The second edition of the Goa Book Fair was held from 4 to 8 January 2024 at Ravindra Bhavan in Margao. The fair showcases a wide selection of books by publishers and booksellers from various parts of the country. Author meet and greet sessions, book readings, discussions, and workshops are also being organized at the fair for children as well as adults. The Goa Book Fair is the brainchild of Leonard Fernandes, publishing professional and co-founder of The Dogears Bookshop. The event features a good collection of books in Konkani and those based on Goa.Â
Ahmedabad National Book Fair
Ahmedabad National Book Fair Literature Week organized by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation began on 6 January at GMDC, Gujarat University Ground, Ahmedabad. Visitors interacted with some writers of Gujarati literature and got to know their works. Workshops on the creation of literature, drama writing, short story writing and film script creation took place at the fair. A children’s film festival was also organized, which showcased award-winning films from India and foreign countries. The fair was scheduled till 12 January 2024.
Kerala Literature Festival
The Kerala Literature Festival will hold its seventh edition from 11 – 14 January 2024 in Kozhikode, Kerala. Turkey will be the guest country this year. The annual Kerala Literature Festival, organized by DC Books in Kozhikode for the past six years has served as a key catalyst in prompting the city to become a UNESCO City of Literature. The massive attendance for the KLF, became the most visible symbol of Kozhikode’s love for literature. Kerala Literature Festival 2024 will feature more than 500 authors with over 200 sessions. Engaging workshops, shows, theatrical performances and musical shows have been scheduled to engage book lovers and visitors. Speakers include M Mukundan, Prakash Raj, Shashi Tharoor, KR Meera, Taslima Nasrin, Anita Nair, Jerry Pinto, Paul Zacharia, and Firat Sunel.
Hyderabad Literary Festival
The 14th edition of the Hyderabad Literary Festival is all set to take place from 26 – 28 January 2024 at Sattva Knowledge City in Hyderabad. Organized by the Hyderabad Literary Trust, the event celebrates Indian culture, literature and art and is supported by several publishing houses and literary and cultural organizations. The 2024 edition has Odiya as the Indian Language in Focus while Norway is the country in focus. This year’s edition also marks a change in venue from Vidyaranya High School to Sattva Knowledge City. A series of talks, book discussions, panel discussions, film screenings, lectures and performances have been conceptualized keeping in mind the Odiya and Norwegian communities.
International Kolkata Book Fair
The 47th International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF), to be held from 18 – 31 January 2024 at the Central Park Mela Ground in Salt Lake, Kolkata. Marking the 75th anniversary of the British Council’s presence in India, the UK program at the fair will offer an immersive experience, providing attendees with insights into the vibrant education, science and creative cultural heritage of the UK.
The Publishers & Booksellers Guild, have announced the United Kingdom as the theme country for the 2024 edition. The UK Pavilion will present its literary traditions, arts, science, education, and English language learning opportunities. In celebration of the evolving global impact of the English language, the interactive displays at the Future of English exhibition will demonstrate its reach and influence across the world.
The fair is said to have the highest visitor numbers of any book fair in the world. About 2.6 million people visited the book fair in 2022 with reported book sales of Rs 25 crore. Around 1,100 publishers including literary magazines are expected to participate, compared to 950 publishers in 2023. The 10th Kolkata Literature Festival will take place at the auditorium adjacent to the fair grounds from 26 – 28 January 2024.
Publishers from Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chattisgarh, Bihar, Tripura, Assam, Telangana, Odisha, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh will put up stands to unite book lovers from different parts of the country. The Asiatic Society, the oldest research institution and publishing house in India, founded by Sir William Jones, will showcase an exhibition highlighting the history of the society with a special emphasis on the contribution of British scholars toward the development of intellectual pursuits in the erstwhile colony.
Jaipur Literature Festival
The 17th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) will take place in Hotel Clarks Amer in Jaipur from 1 – 5 February 2024. The program will feature a range of themes including the fiction & non fiction, crime fiction, literary criticism, history, politics and current affairs, poetry, art and culture, translation, graphic novels, gender, science and medicine, food and memory, biographies and memoir, mythology, spirituality and religion, mental health, fashion and lifestyle, law and justice, geopolitics, sports, climate change, environment and climate justice, pet parents, pets and animals, cities, literary icons through the ages, art and architecture, Bollywood and cinema, economics amongst others. JLF will be witnessing over 2,000 speakers this year.
The 11th edition of Jaipur BookMark (JBM), the B2B platform for South Asian publishing industry will be held concurrently with the Jaipur Literature Festival. The platform brings together publishers, literary agents, editors, writers, translators, and booksellers under one roof. This year the JBM will focus on translation while showcasing the rich diversity of Indian publishing industry.
Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters
The 5th edition of the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL) will be held at Kanakakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram from 8 – 10 February 2024. The event will see participation from more than 300 writers and thinkers from around the world. The theme of the 2024 edition is exploring plurality. Arun Shourie, Satchidanandan, Shashi Tharoor, Sai Deepak, PR Sreejesh, G Sudhakaran, Vivek Shanbagh, Ramesh Chennithala, Manu S Pillai, PR Sreejesh, Dr K Rajasekharan Nair, S Somanath, Ramachandra Guha, Jude Anthany, T Padmanabhan, V Madhusoodhanan Nair, Sreeshanth, Sreekumaran Thampi, VD Satheesan, M Mukundan, KGS, Paul Zachariah, and Irfan Habib are some of the speakers for the event.
New Delhi World Book Fair
The National Book Trust will be organizing the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) in Pragati Maidan from 10 – 18 February 2024. The fair is organized by the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO). The publishing conference at the fair will have over a hundred participants from 35 countries. The rights exchange forum will have more than 80 participants from more than 30 countries.
Agartala Book Fair
Starting February 21, the Agartala Book Fair is considered as the second-largest book fair in the North East. In its 42nd edition, the two-week fair will be held at Hapania International Fairground.
