My experience of the Lahore International Book Fair
Wow! I didn’t know there were so many book lovers in Lahore, was my first thought when I saw the crowd of people thronging the stalls at the Lahore International Book Fair this year.
It was the first time I went to the fair, and I was glad I went. Not just for the books, but for the sightseeing as well. Hey, wipe that grin off your face, not that kind of sightseeing, OK? I mean seeing fellow book readers of all ages. It really is heartening to see that book reading is alive and well, at least on some scale. The scale of the book fair was grand, to say the least. The whole hall 1 of the Expo Centre was packed with book stalls and book lovers.
I was floored when I saw the discounts at every stall. Some had 15% off and some had even 50% off! Alas, the 50% off was at an Urdu book stall and sadly, I am not much of an Urdu book reader. Still, it was good to see my mother stock up on her favourite authors. I saw the familiar gleam in her eyes and heard her make the same squeak of glee that I make when I make a good book find. The Urdu books were a splendid sight to look at. I’m the kind of person who can get cheered up just by looking at nicely bound books. One guy was selling five Umera Ahmed books for Rs.500, but my mother, having already read that author extensively, passed the offer by. I knew people who would have snapped up the offer in a jiffy, and I imagined their disappointment if I told them about it. I looked at all the Ishfaq Ahmed books I would never read while Mama looked at the ones she wanted to read, then we both checked out the Zavya series and got the one we didn’t have. (That series is one of the few Urdu books I have read, and I’m the person who didn’t finish reading Peer e Kamil. Go ahead, kill me, I know you want to.)
I primarily wanted to find books that I wouldn’t necessarily find at the bookshops I normally went to. My prayers were answered at an old books stall which had some really lovely looking old books, in hardback and paperback. The hardback covers ranged from Plato to Shakespeare and beyond; those kind of books that look really nice arranged on a shelf, with their stately leather covers and silver or gold lettering on the spines. I enjoyed just looking at them and thinking of the friends I knew who would buy this type of literature. For my own self I headed to the paperbacks, where I was duly rewarded with a light read called How to handle your Mom and Dad, filled with cutesy illustrations. I may not need instructions on how to deal with my parents, but I did like reading things written in a light and humorous tone. So I got it. Another find was a book about Helen Keller’s teacher, which I had never heard of, but wanted to read the instant I set eyes on it. I had liked reading Helen Keller’s autobiography and wanted to see how her teacher told her side of the story of how she coached the deaf and blind Helen to a level where she was able to communicate with others and even attend college.
My other purchases were at the stalls of big Lahori bookstores like Liberty Books and Readings where I bought novels in the series I was following, which I would have bought anyway upon visiting those stores, but at the fair I got to avail their discounts (yahoo!). I also bought an old Reader’s Digest from a Karachi stall devoted entirely to magazines. The stall guy said, “There’s a discount on this, you know!” when I was paying, as if I would rush back to get more. I would have, but I knew that there’s no end to the number of magazine issues you collect, once you get started, so I didn’t start. Once again, I just looked. The National Geographic shelf was attempting to catch my eye, but I steered clear of temptation and breezed past it and all the other magazines in search of an elusive one that even this stall didn’t have. Oh well, better luck next year.
The rest of my time I spent browsing. I looked at children’s books to see what children’s authors were up to and found that they were as diverse and imaginative as ever. A wave of nostalgia washed over me when I saw a whole table dedicated to Enid Blyton, my old childhood love. Just like children point out airplanes in the sky to their parents, I called my mother over to the table just to show her this glimpse from my past. Her comment? “These are in a much better state than your Enid Blyton books used to be in.” Well, I did read them to pieces, I thought.
Seeing kids rummaging through the books and walking to their parents with their choices made me happy. Just seeing kids interested in books is a pleasant sight. On the other hand were bibliophiles in their golden years, among them a cute old couple hanging on to each other as they scanned the tables. There were brothers with sisters, whole families out on a book shopping spree, and loners ambling along the aisles, lost in their search.
I didn’t take any pictures, but other fans did. I saw them when I checked out the LIBF Facebook page. There were clicks of the whole fair from an eagle eye’s view, and shots of people’s collections of purchases from the fair. I didn’t need to see the photos to know that the LIBF had been a success; the people walking out with shopping bags full of books and smiles on their faces said it all.
I definitely plan to go again next year. See you there!
