An adequate spread of books in English and other major international languages could boost the visitor turnout at the Doha International Book Fair’s subsequent editions, a cross-section of residents have felt.
Visitors at the book fair yesterday
“Books in English, for example, were seen only in a handful of stalls at the fair which mainly featured books in Arabic and there were very few from other international languages,” a book lover said yesterday.
The 22nd Doha International Book Fair, which concluded yesterday at the Doha Exhibition Centre, saw a poor turnout of visitors, especially compared to last year, some regular exhibitors complained.
“Last year was definitely better,” said Fadi Moukanzah, managing director, Universal Publisher & Distributor, Abu Dhabi and Beirut while negotiating with some customers who were eager to get a ‘good price’ on the last day of the fair.
Moukanzah’s was one of the few stalls offering a selection of books in English as well as in Arabic.
“This stall has a book which I had been searching for a long time,” a visitor said, while suggesting the fair could incorporate more variety of books in other international languages as well.
“Book fairs are like sumptuous feasts for book lovers, who get the opportunity to browse and buy books from across the world, all under one roof,” another visitor said, while walking out with a heavy bag of books.
Given that Qatar is becoming an international destination, the book fair should also become truly international, a long-time resident and self-confessed book worm said.
Meanwhile, an Arab expatriate said the fair had enough and more variety of books in Arabic, catering to all tastes.
“I found a large number of books for readers of all ages, be it academic or fiction or for casual reading,” he said, while adding that there was a wide range of religious books as well.
A group of school children, from a local school, were seen happily walking out of the book fair venue, carrying bags of books.
“They wanted to spend more time at various stalls,” the accompanying teacher observed while expressing happiness at the eagerness of children to pursue reading. “If children develop a love for reading at this age, then most likely they will nurture the habit as they grow up,” she added, while pointing out that books have to compete with Internet these days.
The 11-day fair had 78,002 titles on display in Arabic and 10,181 in other languages. Around 456 publishing houses representing 24 Arab and foreign countries participated.
E-books and IT programmes besides electronics and related accessories were also on offer.
