Adorn Publication stepped into two decades in last year. Generally the publication house has been working on legendary literary, cultural, historical and political figures. Syed Zakir Hossain, publisher and chief executive officer of Adorn Publication feels that the spirit of Ekush and the sovereignty of the country ponder him to do work in this industry. He feels that the Ekush is a matter of pride for us. Ekush marks the day of our language movement and we are a nation that shed blood for the freedom to speak in our mother tongue. Ekush inspires us to keep our heads high and take pride in our country and language.
In the last two decades, Adorn Publication has published over 1000 books. The publishing house has published books by many writers, educationists, poets, researchers over the decades. The house has also extended its wing in the field of children's and juvenile literature. They have published over 150 books of children's literature. Adorn Publication is offering over 40 new publications at the ongoing Ekushey Boi Mela. It publishes educational, academic and scholarly books -- both in English and Bangla. They have published essays, biographies, memoirs, poetry, novels and research works on political history, economics, environment, feminism, history, culture, heritage, political secularism, agriculture, gender issues, Language Movement, Liberation War and more.
The noted publisher observes that the space of the fair has been increasing by years but real readers have not been created at all. It has been observed that many publications are aesthetically poor in terms of quality at the book fair.
We always want to highlight both promising and veteran writers. Adorn promotes Bangladeshi culture and heritage. In recent times, we have jointly worked together with several private and public universities. I feel that university widens knowledge; we want to spread out the knowledge through the publications.
Zakir Hossain said, "Books are important for several reasons: books allow children and adults to learn and understand the alphabet, achieve a minimal standard of literacy and help people understand their roles in society. Some books have characters that people can easily relate to, which allows them to gain a better understanding of their own emotions, including happiness, sorrow, anger and pleasure. Books are a valuable learning tool for individuals and academic institutions. Reading books on relevant subject areas studied in personal life, allows people to gain a better understanding and develop a deeper knowledge in subject areas that they are studying.
"Lack of concentration is very much noticeable in every sphere of life. Media should be more careful about our publication industry. It is very noticeable that many media have no adequate knowledge about our publication industry and its varied aspects," he regretfully added.
The publisher expresses, "I'm always eager to take part in the Ekushey book fair. For the last 21 years, we have been taking part in this major event. As a nation, we are highly emotional about the fair but we could not garner a sufficient readership. To create a healthy reading environment, publishers, writers and policymakers should work together. My main concerns are the quality of the books, their images, illustrations and quality of editing. Unedited books are available at the fair. Badly edited works are likely to mar the reputation of the publishing house. Professionalism is very essential in our literary arena. Both publishers and writers should be more professional and careful about their works. I also feel that we need better translators. We need to establish an institution that can provide efficient editors and publishers."
The house regards editing to be crucial. "We have a skilled editorial board, which comprises noted academics, scholars and writers. Before publishing a book, we send the documents or manuscripts to the editorial board for close reviews.
Some notable publications of the Ekushey Book Fair---- "Amader Sundarbans" by Faridi Numan, "Ami Jani Tumi Mittha Bolchho" by Toufique Chowdhury, "Ansar Ali-r Grihotag" by Humayun Kabir, "Atol Joler Taney" by Minar Monsur, "Bangladesh Priorities" by Bjorn Lomborg, "Biswa Shera Shomokalin Choy Kobir Kabita" (Contemporary Six Famous Poets' Poetries) edited and translated by Aminur Rahman, "Cholo, Bhalobashi" by Farida Yasmin Sumi, "Coal Bangladesh" by Md Mosharraf Hossain, "Abdul Mannan Syed-er Jasimuddin"---Collected and Edited by Ahmed Mazhar, "Jol Torongo" by Shamima Nasreen, "Neel Orchid" by Mostak Sharif, "Shandhya Ferar Samay" by Kazi Alimuzzaman, "Ism in Arts, Literature and Music" by Syed Lutful Haq, "Ferari Bosontey Bokul" by Jahanara Zaman, "Gas Bangladesh" by Md Mosharraf Hossain, "Manush Jader Anushari Tader Shoishob O Koishor" by Jaynal Hossain, "Premik Van Gogh" by Jaynal Hossain, "Manfred Chobot-r Kabita" Translated by Aminur Rahman, "The Art of War" Translated by AMM Fazlur Rashid and more.
