Kolkata: Spain will be next year's theme country for International Kolkata Book Fair, organizers said at the conclusion of the 45th edition of the 14-day event on Sunday.
Books worth Rs 20 crore have been sold at the book fair, considered the world's biggest in terms of footfall, till Saturday, Publishers and Booksellers Guild general secretary Tridib Chatterjee told reporters.
The net sales are expected to breach the Rs 22-crore-mark notched in the previous edition two years back before the COVID-19 outbreak, he said.
Spain's ambassador to India, Jose Maria Ridao Dominguez, who was at the venue, expressed happiness over the decision to make the European country the focal nation in the 46th edition of the book fair in 2023.
"It is a matter of great pride that Spain has been chosen as the focal country of the 46th edition of the International Kolkata Book Fair. This will foster people-to-people contacts and facilitate stronger cultural ties between India and Spain," he said.
Chatterjee said that an estimated 16.5 lakh people have visited the 600 bookstalls at the fair.
"People were deprived of experiencing the book fair for around two years. After two postponements, we could finally organise it in spring. The book fair will be bigger next year," Guild president Sudhangsu Dey said.
Chatterjee said that the next edition is likely to be held in January 2023 but the dates are yet to be fixed.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Bangladesh State Minister for Cultural Affairs K M Khalid were present at the inaugural function of the 45th International Kolkata Book Fair, 2022 on February 28.
Organizers had given special focus to Bangladesh this year to mark the 50th anniversary of the country's liberation.
The 14-day event was held in Central Park in Salt Lake near Kolkata. The book fair will officially conclude at 9 PM on Sunday with the sounding of a bell in the presence of dignitaries including state ministers.
PTI
