Kolkata :The International Kolkata Book Fair happens to be the biggest festival in the state after Durga Puja. The upcoming 47th International Kolkata Book Fair will be inaugurated on 18 January, and the fair will continue till 31 January 2024. The fair will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee. Eminent poets, writers and other scholars will be present as guests of honour. Venue: Boi Mela Prangan, Salt Lake.
Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee is the first to recognize publishing as an industry. At her behest, Guild representatives accompanied her on a business delegation to Spain. The publishers also had the opportunity to address and participate in the Creative Economy session at the Bengal Global Business Summit.
Various departments of West Bengal Government and Bidhannagar Municipality for their overall cooperation to the Book Fair.
The International Kolkata Book Fair 2024 had to be brought forward by a few days. The main reason for this is that the central and state board exams are commencing from the end of January and first week of February. We believe that this change in the dates of the fair has come as good news for book lovers, since they can avail the additional holidays of 23 and 26 January apart from the 2 Saturdays and 2 Sundays to enjoy the fair.
Currently the International Kolkata Book Fair is the world’s largest book festival. Twenty-six lakh book lovers came to the 2023 book fair, and the book sales amounted to Rs 25 crores. Many new publishers will participate in the upcoming book fair.
The focal theme country of the 47th International Kolkata Book Fair is the United Kingdom (UK), a country with which have a close historical, cultural and diplomatic relationship. Moreover, 2023-2024 marks the 75 years of presence of British Council in India.
The British Council has been an integral part of the book fair since very long. They played a major role in 1998 and 2015.
Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner, East and North East India, and Dr Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director of British Council, East and North East India will speak about the participation as a focal theme in the book fair.
Like every year, countries like America, France, Italy, Spain, Thailand, Australia, Bangladesh, Peru, Argentina, Colombia etc. are participating in the upcoming book fair. Germany will participate after 12 years. Besides, there are publications of other states of India, such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Telangana, Kerala, Odisha, etc. As always, there will be Little Magazine Pavilion, Children’s Pavilion and other attractions too.
One of the highlights of the International Kolkata Book Fair, the three-day Kolkata Literature Festival, KLF, will be held from 26 to 28 January 2024.
