Kolkata, The 48th Kolkata International Book Fair will begin on January 28 and continue till February 9, 2025, organizers of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild said on Friday.
The fair will feature Germany as a focal country showcasing its rich cultural and literary heritage, they said.
Guild president Tridib Chatterjee said the concept of the Calcutta Book Fair, first held in 1976, was inspired by the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany and many of the guild’s founding members visited it regularly.
Over the years, representatives of the Frankfurt Book Fair have also visited Kolkata, strengthening cultural ties, he said.
Sudhangshu Dey, general secretary of the guild, said that the guild has participated in the Frankfurt Book Fair many times, especially when India was the theme country in 1984 and 2006.
Astrid Wege, director of the Goethe Institute, expressed her pride in inviting Germany as a coordinating country, and Simon Kleinpass, German vice consul in Kolkata, emphasized that the fair will contribute to the further development of exchanges between the people of both countries.
The fair will be inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Central Park, Salt Lake.
The event will be attended by representatives of several countries, including Great Britain, the United States, France, Italy, Spain and several Latin American countries. Indian states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, among others, will also be represented by their own editions, Dey said.
Guild officials said the fair is one of the world’s largest in terms of attendance, with 27 lakh bibliophiles visiting the 2024 edition and total book sales of ₹23 crores.
The highlight of the fair will be the Literary Festival in Calcutta, which will host discussions on art, literature and other social issues. The exact dates of the festival will be known closer to the opening of the fair.
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