Commonwealth writers add to Games celebrations

One of the common bonds between the Commonwealth countries is the English language.

One of the common bonds between the Commonwealth countries is the English language.

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As part of the Commonwealth Games celebrations, the Sahitya Akademi has organised an exhibition of books from the Commonwealth countries at Rabindra Bhavan.

The exhibition showcases some of the finest literary works from countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

“This is the first of its kind exhibition in the country on the books from Commonwealth countries, which share an intimate literary bond. The idea is to display the vast body of Commonwealth literature on one platform for books lovers,” says Rakesh Sharma, deputy Secretary, Sahitya Akademi.

The exhibition, which will continue till October 13, has finest books on display by some of the most celebrated writers from the Commonwealth countries such as Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and Byrna Barclay from Canada, Sarah Waters from Wales, Witi Tame Ihimaera and Lloyd Jones from New Zealand and Thomas Keneally from Australia. The exhibition also boasts of lavish coffee table books on the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand and Australia.

Then there are also much-talked about books from Pakistan such as A Bad Women's Story by Kishwar Naheed, and My Fellow Traveler by Hameeda Akhtar. Apart from British Council, many well-known publishers such as Harper Collins, Oxford and Hachette have also displayed hundreds of books by Commonwealth writers. At 5 pm everyday, the Sahitya Akademi also organises a ‘Writers Meet’ at its auditorium, where two writers from Commonwealth countries and two from India read from their books and discuss literary trends in their countries.