Haresh Jarrah
Ahmedabad– Resilience to change, adaptability to evolution, competition and increased access through smart marketing are the main reasons behind the progress of Gujarati literature with its enrichment of current content and idioms.
When talking about Gujarati literature, the legends who laid the foundations of the literary world such as Bhakti Sahitya of Narsingh Mehta some 500 years ago, Aho, Narmad, Premanand, poets Dharpatram Dhajabai and Surshinji Taktsinji (Kalapi). can’t forget to mention , the contributions of Zabelchand Megani in the pre-independence era.
From contemporary novelists and poets such as Umakant Joshi, Jyothindra Dave, Kaka Kalelkar Ishwar Petrikar, Panalal Patel, Harkishan Mehta, Father Vales, Joshep Makwan, Chandrakanth Bakshi, Dr. Leish Mania , Varsha Adalja, Kajal Oza Vaidya and even new generation writers such as Kajal Mehta have a very rich culture.
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In the non-fiction category, biographies and autobiographies are popular reading, said Chintan Sheth, director of RRSheth Books, one of the leading publishers of Gujarati literature, on sales of such books. .
Giving an example, Sheth said that between 10 and 12,000 volumes of Elon Musk’s biography have been sold in Gujarati. The Gujarati paperbook version of Mario Puzo’s ‘The Godfather’ did well in the market. Agatha Her Christie’s novels such as ‘Dead Her Game’, ‘Dead on the Nile’ and ‘The Corpse in the Library’ have been very well received and read by readers.
Another factor contributing to the increased readership is the worldwide availability of Gujarati books. Due to changes in our delivery system, you can now order from Australia and receive Gujarati novels and poetry books from Gujarat and have them delivered in a week or 15 days.
E-books are also in demand as new generations love to read books online. Online is made available at affordable rates by many publishers and e-commerce platforms. Sheth believes that in the coming days and years, Gujaratis will read more and more non-fiction books that offer solutions to everyday, professional and health-related problems. (IANS)
