A book fair held in Lattakia to reinstate the value of reading
Book fairs mean more to society than just selling and promoting books. They are also a destination to experience the beauty and power of written word as well as bringing together people who love literature and books.
Majd bookshop in Lattakia province has recently held the Arab Book Fair in cooperation with Lattakia’s Culture Directorate and Dar Al-Takween for publication and distribution.
“This book fair has a number of objectives mainly to reinstate the value of culture as a movement for raising awareness and development. It is an important chance for visitors to find about the latest innovation in the field of publishing and to encourage the young generation to read more especially in the age of technology that greatly affected people’s appetite for reading ” Mr. Hassan Younes Head of Majd bookshop told the Syriatimes e-newspaper.
“The fair includes a wide range of books written in Arabic for all age categories by different Syrian and Lebanese distribution and publication houses on history, philosophy, literature, sciences and arts in addition to sustainable development which has become an important topic recently” Mr. Younes made it clear.
Reading is a good habit that should be cultivated as it doesn’t only help one gain knowledge but also improve one’s skills that can add value to life.
Concerning the situation of reading in the country Younes said the situation of book is not good but not that bad, underscoring that the demand for the book is limited due to some reasons mainly technology as you can easily find e-books sites in addition to people’s disinterest in opening books and reading besides the financial reason.”
Some visitors told the Syriatimes e-newspaper that the book fair is an important opportunity to acquire the latest publications and take part in a range of significant cultural activities.
They suggested borrowing books due to the fact that some books are of high price and encouraged holding symposiums and workshops on the sideline of the book fair to help boost creative writing skills of young authors. They also urged paving the way for wider Arab participation.
Children are very impressionable and they learn things easily which is why bringing them to a book fair is a very good idea.
Some mothers expressed their happiness about the children’s pavilion at the book fair because it gives a chance to pick out the books they like in order to develop the children’s opinion on literature.
Interviewed by : Rawaa Ghanam