CHENNAI: More than 300 publishers, literary agents, translators and other delegates from 102 countries participated in the opening day of the fourth edition of the Chennai International Book Fair (CIBF), organised by the Tamil Nadu School Education Department.
Speaking at the event, Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi recalled that a decade ago there was little or no representation of Tamil books or authors at many renowned international book fairs across the world. “Today, Tamil books are widely available at such fairs, and even a Tamil Nadu Pavilion has been set up. Chennai has become a place that brings together worlds, languages and people,” she said. She added that literature bridges gaps between societies by offering windows into other people’s worlds, politics and cultures.
School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said participation at the fair has steadily increased from 24 countries in 2023 to 40 in 2024, 64 in 2025, and 102 countries this year. He noted that the fair has evolved beyond a cultural event and is emerging as a platform for equitable and meaningful dialogue among diverse literary traditions across the globe. Karnataka Minister for School Education and Literacy S Madhu Bangarappa announced that a similar international book fair would soon be organised in Karnataka.
School Education Secretary B Chandra Mohan said that a record number of over 1,500 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed during the fair. Prominent literary agents and publishing professionals present included Kanishka Gupta, a leading literary agent representing several acclaimed and award-winning authors; Simon Trewin, literary agent to Irish novelist Paul Lynch, winner of the 2023 Booker Prize for Prophet Song; and Ágnes Orsai, Foreign Rights Director at Magveto Kiadó, the Hungarian publisher of Nobel Prize-winning author László Krasznahorkai.
The fair is opened to public this year and features 17 panel discussions centred on the theme, “A Conversation between Civilisations.” Claudia Kaiser, Vice President (Business Development) of the Frankfurt Book Fair and Étienne Rolland-Piegue, Deputy Consul of France were also present.