The International Kolkata Book Fair threw open its gates to readers on January 31, 2023, running until February 12. Founded in 1976 and now in its 46th year, the Book Fair, also lovingly called Boi Mela, is one of the largest social events in the city every winter.

Started in the Kolkata maidan, with a temporary stop at a new location near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, the fair has now found a new home in Central Park in the upmarket neighbourhood of Salt Lake. With over 900 publishers and 20 countries participating, and several hundred thousand people in attendance, the fair continues to enjoy its pre-eminent position in Kolkata’s cultural calendar.

Here is a pictorial tour of the 2023 International Kolkata Book Fair.

The 2023 International Kolkata Book Fair. | Picture credits: Kaustav Ghosh.
The crowd outside Dey's Publishing House book stall.
Legendary Bengali writer Sankar signing his recently published book 'Mr and Mrs Chatterjee' outside Dey's Publishing House book stall.
People wait in queue to enter the Ananda Publishing House book stall.
The spread at Dey's Publishing House book stall.
The spread at Dey's Publishing House book stall.

Country of focus: Spain

The Spain pavilion on the outside. | Picture credits: Kaustav Ghosh
Spanish books on display at the pavilion.
Spanish books for young readers.

At the Bangladesh pavilion

Books of William Dalrymple, Khushwant Singh, and Khwaja Hasan Nizami translated into Bengali by Bangladeshi translators.
Books for young readers. | Picture credits: Kaustav Ghosh
Picture credits: Kaustav Ghosh
Books of Haruki Murakami and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie translated into Bengali by Bangladeshi translators. | Picture credits: Kaustav Ghosh

At the English language book stalls

Penguin is celebrating 35 years of publishing in India with collector's editions of its bestsellers.
Inside the HarperCollins book stall.

Publishers at the Book Fair

Publisher Esha Chatterjee of Bee Books.
Publisher Abhijit Gupta and publisher-translator Suchismita Ghosh of Jadavpur University Press.

What readers bought

Picture credits: Sayari Debnath
Picture credits: Samyabrata Das

All photographs by Sayari Debnath unless otherwise mentioned.