Non-fiction books play a crucial role in shaping thinking and providing deep, verified, and analytical knowledge, Education Adviser Dr CR Abrar said on Monday, as the three-day Ninth Non-Fiction Book Fair concluded at Dhaka University (DU).
“They (Non-fiction books) shape thinking, raise questions, teach reasoning, and help us understand society. We live in a time when there is no shortage of information, but there is a shortage of knowledge. Amid social media, rapid news cycles, and fragmented opinions, the need for deep, verified, and analytical knowledge is greater than ever. Non-fiction books play an indispensable role in meeting that need,” Abrar said, underlining the significance of the fair in bringing research and scholarship from the university to the wider public.
This year’s Non-Fiction Book Honor 2025 was awarded to Nurul Kabir, editor of New Age, for Dwiralap: Analytical Conversations on the 2024 Mass Uprising and Pre- and Post-Political Contexts (Kathaprokash), and researcher Muhammad Yusuf Siddiq for Shilalipi: A Corpus of Arabic–Persian Inscriptions of Bengal (Prothoma Prokashon). For the first time, the publishers of the winning works were also recognized. Siddiq, who was abroad, said the study of inscriptions illuminates Bengal’s pluralistic and tolerant history.
The four-member jury was chaired by Bangla Academy President Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq and included Professor Faizul Latif Chowdhury of Independent University, Bangladesh; writer and BRAC Bank Vice-Chairman Faruq Moinuddin; and Afsana Begum, Director of the National Book Centre. Haq said research-based books are vital to national progress and help strengthen public understanding of justice and ethics.
Jury members noted the higher quality of submissions this year. Chowdhury said awarded works were chosen for their strong political and social significance, Moinuddin emphasized objective judging, and Begum highlighted the growing global demand for non-fiction, adding that works with a strong historical foundation received special attention.
Other attendees included Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed, Pro-vice chancellor (Education) of DU; writer and translator Aminul Islam Bhuiyan; and Md. Mushfiqur Rahman, Executive Vice-President of Southeast Bank. Guests were presented with crests, and the winners received their awards from the chief and special guests.
Nurul Kabir, accepting an award for the first time in his career, said he usually declines awards offered without prior consent. The fair underscored the growing importance of non-fiction in fostering analytical thinking and a knowledge-based society in Bangladesh.