On Saturday (February 1) at 4 PM, the Chief Advisor inaugurated the traditional book fair at the Bangla Academy premises. During the event, he handed over the “Bangla Academy Literary Award-2024” to the winners. This year, seven writers and literary figures were honored with the award.
The theme of this year’s book fair is “July Mass Uprising: Building a New Bangladesh.” In his speech, the Chief Advisor stated, “This year’s book fair has been organized in a new form, inspired by the spirit of July. Ekushey represents our core identity; Ekushey means awakening, and Ekushey symbolizes our unbreakable bond.”
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Bangla Academy President Professor Abul Kasem Fazlul Haque. Special guest remarks were delivered by Cultural Affairs Advisor Mustafa Sarwar Farooqui. Bangla Academy Director General Mohammad Azam delivered the welcome address.
A total of 708 publishers are participating in this year’s book fair. Among them, 99 stalls are set up at the Bangla Academy premises, while 609 stalls are located at Suhrawardy Udyan.
Bangla Academy Literary Award-2024
On January 23, the names of 10 poets and writers were announced for the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2024. However, the list was suspended on January 25. A revised list of seven awardees was published on January 29.
According to the final list, the awardees are:
- Masud Khan (Poetry)
- Shubhashis Sinha (Drama and Dramatic Literature)
- Salimullah Khan (Essay/Prose)
- G. H. Habib (Translation)
- Muhammad Shahjahan Mia (Research)
- Rezaur Rahman (Science)
- Syed Jamil Ahmed (Folklore)
The awardees have made significant contributions to Bengali literature through their literary works. The book fair and award ceremony have added a new dimension to the development of Bengali literature and culture.
