The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2016 will begin on the Bangla Academy premises and at Suhrawardy Udyan on February 1 and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the fair at 3pm on that day.

Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor will be present as the special guest while Bengali language researchers British poet Joe Winter and Czech author Ribek Martyn will address the function.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will distribute prizes among the winners of 'Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar 2015' and unveil the covers of the brail and audio versions of 'Bangabandhur Beeratwagatha', written by Syed Shamsul Haque," said Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan.

Khan said it on Saturday while briefing reporters at Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad Auditorium of Bangla Academy.

Professor Emeritus Anisuzzaman will preside over the function, which will be attended by International Publishers Association (IPA) president Richard Charkin and its secretary general Jos Borghino.

BSS/RI