Recommended reading: Fans of the undead collide with lovers of eternal verse at fair

Karachi’s bookworms flock to Expo Centre for the 7th annual bookfest.

KARACHI:

Bhai, do you have Mere Humsafar or not, asked a woman as she forced her way through endless piles of books stocked at a stall at the Karachi Book Fair on Saturday. “Do you have anything on or by Fehmida Riaz? No? Fine, I’ll just buy Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.”

She sniffed that the stock this year was not good, but she could not help herself and had already spent Rs3,500 on buying books for her sons. “I come here every year,” she said. “Even though they don’t have everything, I mean there is no other place you can find Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal and Stephanie Meyer under one roof.”

At another stall, 55-year-old Wajahat was busy scanning though The Blood of Husayn, Admi ka Baap, Obama’s War and Peak of Eloquence. “I have already bought books for my grandchildren and children,” she said with a triumphant grin. “Now, it is my turn. Books are my passion and right now I am in the mood for some poetry and mysticism.”

Umair, a salesman at Welcome Book Port, said that most booksellers had a large stock of Islamic and history books this year. “Most of the people are interested in buying the Holy Quran or books on how to pray correctly.” He added that since Friday, only 10 or 15 people had bought books from them.

Ilm-o-Irfan Publishers Sales Representative Akbar Ali said that they primarily sold Urdu novels. He added that there was a great demand for Urdu fiction. They had revamped some of the book covers with still shots from their television adaptations.

For some customers, the stall set up by Shaukat Ali and Sons, was a dream come true. “We have come from far away to look for books by Naseem Hijazi,” said 13-year-old Faizan Akbar. “He is an amazing writer and has made me want to explore the world of Urdu literature and history.” Faizan’s friend Usama was enthusiastic about finding easy-to-read editions of William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice at another stall.

According to Nazir Ahmed, books on Islamic history were also big sellers. “Most of the people who attend this book fair are in their late ‘40s or early ‘50s,” he said while looking for Azab-e-Zindagi for a customer. “They are usually interested in poetry, history, politics or Sufism.”

As if on a hunt, a man in a brown shalwar kameez kept jumping from stall to stall looking for books on Arabic and German grammar. He found the grammar books at a couple of stalls but was not happy with their condition. “They look too used,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with second-hand books but these just look like they are going to fall apart.”

Arham, 15, and 11-year-old Saira were very excited to buy their first copy of the Holy Quran from Taj Company, one of the biggest sellers of the text in the country. Mansoor Alam said he has been in the business for over 30 years and it just keeps getting better. “We have the Holy Quran in all sizes - the biggest one is right there, propped up in a corner. It is the biggest in the entire country and only costs Rs1,100,” he said. “The smallest one is for Rs60 and can be worn around your neck in a chain, we call it the taweez Quran.”

He said that they had around 1,000 copies of the Holy Quran for sale and had no idea how many would be gone. Alam added that they should have sold more than half of the stock in a day or two.

There were around 290 book stalls, including one from India and Turkey. The event was organised by the Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association  and is set to go on till December 20.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2011.