Poetry books have dominated the list of new publications during the first 10 days of the ongoing Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026.
According to data released by the fair’s information centre, a total of 758 new books had been published by Saturday, the tenth day of the fair, with poetry accounting for the highest number of publications.
A subject-wise analysis showed that 266 of the new books are poetry collections. Novels account for 131 titles, while 94 are short story collections and 79 are essays and research works.
Children’s literature and rhymes make up 52 titles, while 136 books fall under other categories including travel, religion and science fiction. The publication list reflects a wide diversity of literature, information and subject areas at the fair.
A review of book prices showed that poetry collections and lighter essay volumes are generally priced between Tk200 and Tk300.
Novels and fiction titles range from Tk320 to Tk550, while research books and larger compilations cost between Tk450 and Tk1,000. Children’s books are typically priced between Tk150 and Tk350. For example, the price of Bangla Academy’s essay collection on the “July Mass Uprising” is Tk1,000.
The number of new books entering the fair during the first 10 days indicates a steady publication trend.
According to the information centre, 16 new books were submitted on the second day of the fair, Friday. On the third day, Saturday, the number rose to 38. On the fourth day, Sunday, 42 books were submitted, while 40 new titles arrived on the fifth day, Monday.
On the sixth day, Tuesday, 65 books were published, followed by 81 titles on the seventh day, Wednesday. The eighth day, Thursday, saw 92 new titles, marking a notable increase compared with the previous days.
On the ninth day, Friday, the number rose further to 199. On the tenth day, Saturday, another 185 new books were submitted.
Among publishing houses, Bangla Academy leads the list, primarily focusing on research and essay publications. Its catalogue includes a large number of dictionaries, works on folk culture and analytical studies.
Panjeri Publications released 32 titles during the first 10 days, mainly concentrating on children’s literature and contemporary novels. Brittokola Academy has played a significant role in publishing poetry and short stories by young writers.
Kathaprakash has focused on creative novels and classical translated literature, while Nabya Sahitya Prokashoni has attracted readers with poetry and contemporary short stories.
Amar Ekushey Book Fair remains the largest festival for book lovers in Bangladesh. At one time the Bangla Academy premises served as the centre of the fair.
However, with the growing number of publishers, the fair was expanded to Suhrawardy Udyan in 2014. Since then, the largest crowds of visitors have been seen at the Suhrawardy Udyan section.
In contrast, the Bangla Academy premises often appear relatively quiet, presenting two very different scenes within the same fair.
The Bangla Academy premises mainly host stalls of government and autonomous institutions. Publishing houses of several universities, research centres and some political and cultural organisations also participate there.
Institutions such as Bangladesh Shishu Academy, Islamic Foundation and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics have stalls in this section.
Seminars and cultural programmes of the fair are usually held on the Bangla Academy premises.
Private publishing houses are located in the Suhrawardy Udyan section, which also includes the Little Magazine Corner, children’s book stalls and food stalls. As a result, visitor crowds are naturally larger in this area.
According to Bangla Academy, a total of 549 organisations are participating in this year’s book fair. Of them, 81 institutions are located within the Bangla Academy premises, while 468 publishing houses have stalls in the Suhrawardy Udyan area.
On Saturday, the weekly holiday, the fair opened at 11:00am. During the morning’s children’s hour, many youngsters visited different stalls accompanied by their parents. The “Kakatarua Puppet Theatre” stall attracted noticeable crowds of children, particularly around puppet shows, hand puppets and bioscope displays.
Meanwhile, the situation on the Bangla Academy premises presented a different picture. Visitor numbers were comparatively low, and many stall operators were seen passing idle time. Although occasional visitors arrived, scenes of book purchases were relatively rare.
The fair will begin at 2:00pm on Sunday and continue until 9:00pm. At 3:00pm, a discussion programme titled after Asad Chowdhury will be held on the main stage of the book fair.
Kudrat-e-Huda will present the keynote paper, while Saikat Habib will participate in the discussion. The session will be chaired by Syed Azizul Haque. A cultural programme will follow at 4:00pm.
