WHEN England burnt in the fires lit by rioters and looters earlier this month newspapers in Pakistan gave it wide coverage. Such is the level of interest in the events in the UK which hosts over one million immigrants of Pakistani ancestry. Continue reading When books are spared
Category Archives: Books
Libraries go out of fashion
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
APRIL 23 was the World Book and Copyright Day. We have to be grateful to DawnNews for taking up the subject of books in its programme `
Bolna zaroori hai`.
The media doesn`t find books an exciting topic to discuss. Books don`t carry the same attraction as cross-border weddings of sport celebrities. Some television channels were kind enough to carry reports in their news bulletins on how Book and Copyright Day was observed.
Continue reading Libraries go out of fashion
Literature and activism
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
At a time when Pakistan needs to mobilise for concerted action for positive change in our brutalised society, the discussions held recently on literature and activism and on Eqbal Ahmad`s `cross-border` writings were timely and relevant.
They were also provocative and provided food for thought, especially for those who have begun to despair at the direction the country is taking.
Continue reading Literature and activism
Children and libraries
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
PAKISTANI society is full of contradictions. While the book reading and purchasing habit has begun to pick up as has been confirmed by many in the book trade, libraries still lag behind.
The few that exist are now chock-a-block. The reading room in the Rangoonwala Hall in Karachi is open 24/7. Yet the law of supply and demand does not seem to be at work in the expansion of libraries for adults.
Continue reading Children and libraries
All about books
By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn
THERE is good news about books. The Pakistan Publishers and Booksellers Association`s fourth international book fair in Karachi in December was quite a crowd puller. The fair has now emerged as a welcome annual feature of life in this cosmopolitan city and the organisers claim that visitors and sales have been on the rise.
What is a more positive development is that the link between publishers/booksellers, libraries and readers is now receiving recognition. Concerted efforts are being made to promote the intellectual activity of reading by giving a boost to publishing and libraries.
Continue reading All about books