Avid readers rejoice: the National Book Fair and the Bangkok International Book Fair are making a return on Thursday for its 46th and 16th editions respectively. The event, not to be missed, will feature meet-and-greet sessions with popular authors as well as exhibitions and discussions under the theme "Read … Again".
According to Suchada Sahasakul, president of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (Pubat), over 400 Thai publishing houses and 16 foreign publishers will take part in this year's exciting book fairs. The venue -- the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center -- will host over 900 booths.
While new technologies have increasingly changed our way of life as well as readers' relationship to books, the Pubat president doesn't fear a loss of interest in the act of reading itself.
"Reading remains a fundamental activity and a first step for anyone wishing to acquire knowledge and innovate," she said.
"Everything starts with the act of reading. Once one has read, one can experiment and act to shape the world."
With her speech, she encouraged readers and publishers to keep reading if they wish to boost the skills of a young generation of Thais, enabling them to be competitive in today's world.
Technology also finds its way into this year's book fairs through a special exhibition dedicated to Augmented Reality.
The Creative Comic Creation show will feature four books that can be viewed through an online application.
The exhibition provides a perfect opportunity for readers to come in contact with this futuristic way of reading books.
However, changes in lifestyle and new technologies do not mean that time-honoured authors must become irrelevant. The 46th National Book Fair will also host a series of panel discussions regarding the works of seven celebrated Thai authors over the course of a week. From April 2 onwards, visitors can listen to and take part in daily debates starting at 6 pm. You will be able to rediscover the writings MR Kukrit Pramoj, Prapas Cholsaranont, Malai Chupinit and Kampoon Boontawee through these events.
Although the overall economy in Thailand is stagnant, Pubat has announced that 350 new books will be released during this year's book fair, and it expects no fewer than 2 million visitors for the two events, to be held between Saturday and April 8 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
