New titles on different political issues have risen significantly in the ongoing Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2025 on the back of readers鈥� interest, publishers said on Wednesday.
They also said that readers also sought previously published books on different political issues and history and so they reprinted many publications at the month-long fair being organised by the Bangla Academy at its premises and Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital Dhaka.
Readers said that although new titles on political issues increased, but most of the books written with biases and initial emotions instead of neutral analyses.
They also said that without proper research and experience about political culture and history, these publications could create conflicting narratives of different issues among readers.
Sourav Hasan, a sales person of the July Biplab Parishad at the academy premises, said that readers sought books on mass uprising as well as different political movements at the fair.
鈥榃e gathered books only on the July uprising, but readers also sought books on different other political issues and movements that inspired us a lot to keep books on political issues and organise many activities like study circle and libraries,鈥� said Sourav, adding that the July Biplab Parishad planned to organise many activities among the students.
The University Press Limited senior executive for sales SM Shamim said that readers showed interest in books on different political issues not only about Bangladesh but also about the other countries.
鈥楲ate National Professor Abdur Razzaq鈥檚 translation work titled 鈥淧olitical Parties in India鈥� received a huge response from readers, while readers also searched books on Bangladesh-India bilateral issues, Palestine and the other political issues at this fair,鈥� said Shamim.
Poet Shoikot Amin said that after any historical political changes, a lot of books published on the issues which carried diversity and personal memories, but lack of critical analysis of history and events created blunt narratives.
鈥楳ost of the books on the July mass uprising demanded the credit of the movement in favour of a group instead of writing about how fascism was established and the history of anti-fascist movements in the country,鈥� said Shoikot adding that most of the political books of the country were biased because the freedom of speech was always under threat.
A total of 166 new titles, including 68 collections of poems, 18 collections of short stories and 15 novels, were published on Wednesday at the fair, according to Bangla Academy officials.
