While a good number of new arrivals have hit this year’s fair, there are far fewer translations than in the two previous fairs.
Visitors tend to look for translations of classic literary works, as well as current ones, but publishers haven’t fulfilled their need.
Visitors said, if classic literary works are not translated en masse, they feel deprived of reading and understanding the works in their own language, which they can understand.
The number of translations available is seven, thus far, according to data provided by Bangla Academy.
New arrivals now number at 2,218, with 120 arriving yesterday. There were 14 translations in 2014 and 19 in 2013 on the same day.
But the number of translations according to the academy differs from what Dhaka Tribune has learned, that 20 new translations have been available these past 17 days.
No matter what the number is, sales have been higher for some publication houses, namely, Pathak Shamabesh, Journey Man Books, and Sahitya Prakash have sold the most translations, according to their respective attendants.
Pathak Shamabesh offers at least seven translations.
Pronoy Das, a Pathak Shamabesh attendant, said: “Sales of translations are satisfactory. The translation of Homer’s “Illiad” has attracted most readers, and is the highest-seller, at more than 200 copies.”
Sahitya Prakash offers “Poems of Tobias Biacone” by Shafi Ahmed, “Bay of Bengal (Memories) of Hamdi Bay” by Minakkhi Dutt and “Climate Variability” by Dara Shamsuddin.
Bangla Prakash offers James Joyce’s “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,”, translated by Sarkar Ali Manjur.
Fahim Ahmed, a Journey Man Books attendant, said the sale of translations is decent. They offer translations of “Niler Biswayon” by Pier Paul Darac and Velum Van Sendel.