Manama: Political and current events books are inexorably regaining the top of the list of best-selling books in Bahrain.
“During Ramadan, it was mainly religious books and books on cooking that topped the list,” Taj-u-Deen, a bookseller in Manama, said. “But now, the books that are coveted by readers over the last four days focus on political issues in the region and beyond,” he said.
The latest developments affecting the Gulf, the Middle East and the Maghreb have attracted the attention of mature readers, he said.
“They seem to be looking for answers, comments or maybe arguments to better appreciate what is happening in the Arab countries and to feel related to the events that are shaping a different reality on the ground,” he said.
Biographies of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, and Prince Bander Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, chief of Saudi Arabia’s intelligence agency, are among the most popular publications.
Most of the book buyers are from Bahrain, but there are also avid readers from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, Taj-u-Deen said.
“However, we do not see many young readers buying books or even inquiring about them. It seems that they do not relate to printed matters and would rather surf the internet in case they have a penchant for reading. This is a real pity for the book sector as this segment of society seems to have perimeters that are vastly different from those of the older generation,” he said.
According to the bookseller, the only time some young people asked about books was at the beginning of the year.
“They look for books that tell their fortune for the new year. They are keen on predictions, horoscopes and expectations and for the months of January and February, there is some interest in such books. Afterwards, their book world is totally flat compared with their virtual world,” he said.
