The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair, a yearly event for booklovers and publishers, will begin at Bangla Academy and the adjoining Suhrawardy Udyan, in Dhaka, on Friday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the book fair at Bangla Academy at 3pm on Friday, reports UNB.
She will also unveil a book titled “Secret Documents of Intelligence Branch on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Volume -2)”, at the opening ceremony.
Two international guests—Indian poet Shankha Ghosh plus Egyptian writer and poet Mohsin Al Arishi—will attend the opening ceremony.
The State Minister for Cultural Affairs K M Khalid will attend the opening ceremony as a special guest and Bangla Academy Director General poet Habibullah Siraji will deliver the welcoming speech with its President Professor Emeritus Anisuzzaman in the chair.
Bangla Academy disclosed the details of the fair at a press conference at the academy on Thursday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will also distribute the Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar award at the opening ceremony.
Four writers and researchers have won the Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar 2018.
The winners are: Kazi Rozi for poetry, Mohit Kamal for literature, Syed Mohammad Shahed for essays and research, and Afsan Chowdhury for research on the Liberation War.
The winners will each receive a cheque of Tk2 lakh at the event.
Seminars will be held on the main stage of the venue at 4pm every day from February 2 to 28; and will be followed by cultural programs.
Like the previous years, the venue of the fair has been extended to the nearby Suhrawardy Udyan.
This year, the land earmarked for the fair was expanded to 550,000 sq-ft; 37,000 sq-ft more than the previous year. A total of 770 units have been allocated to 499 organisations.
The authorities have allotted 150 Bangla Academy units to 104 organizations and 620 Suhrawardy Udyan units to 395 organizations.
Last year, the authorities allotted a total of 719 units; 136 at Bangla Academy to 92 organizations and 583 at Suhrawardy Udyan to 363 organizations.
Additionally, 24 pavilions have been allocated to 24 publishing houses, including Bangla Academy; the same as last time.
There will be strict security arrangements in and around the book fair venue to avert any unpleasant incident during the fair.
Publishers from across the country will come to the fair with a wide variety of books while Bangla Academy will exhibit 102 newly-printed and reprinted books.
The theme for this year's Ekushey book fair is "Bijoy: 1952 to 1971, Noboporjay", said the press release.
Nirapad Media and Communication, run by actor Ilias Kanchan, will oversee the management of the fair.
The fair will remain open from 3pm to 9pm from Sundays to Thursdays; and from 11am to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. On February 21, the fair will remain open from 8am to 8pm.
