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Reading amidst a crisis

26 Sep 2022

  • Soaring book prices leave avid readers at a loss for words
  By Sumudu Chamara   The Colombo International Book Fair has been the most prominent event of September for many years, and it has created a culture of readers collecting money until September aiming to purchase books at lower prices from the book fair. In fact, one of the main reasons behind the book fair’s popularity and success was affordable and discounted prices of books. It was the best place where readers could buy books at affordable prices for a long time. However, the economic crisis has not spared the book fair, and this was made clear to many readers at this year’s event.  Due to the impacts of the economic crisis, especially the import restrictions and high costs of materials, reading has become an expensive habit. According to readers, the prices of books have risen to a level where they have to think twice before buying even discounted books. To look into how the economic crisis affected readers, The Morning spoke to several readers who purchased books at this year’s book fair.   Impact of the economic crisis on reading   The Colombo International Book Fair is one of the most popular events among readers, especially due to the ability to purchase books at discounted prices. However, this year, readers were denied the benefits they previously enjoyed. Books that were printed during the past few months were sold at high prices, which, according to book sellers, is a result of increased cost of imported papers, ink, and labour, among other expenses.  Sajith Heshitha Perera, a 30-year-old private sector worker, said that purchasing books is not as enjoyable as before, and that increased prices have prevented many readers from coming to the book fair this year. “Most book sellers give discounts, and many books are being sold at old prices. However, if you want to purchase new books that were printed during the past few months, you have to pay a lot. Books that would have cost around Rs. 500 before, are being sold at around Rs. 1,000-1,500. Imported books are unbearably expensive. When it comes to discounts, some book sellers do not offer discounts for newly printed books, while some sellers have decided to not offer discounts for even old books.” He said that when inquired about low or unavailability of discounts, and high prices from book sellers, their answer was that all costs pertaining to printing and selling have increased significantly, and that book prices were increased accordingly. In this regard, Perera said: “I understand that the costs of everything have gone up, and it is an acceptable reason to increase prices. However, this situation will pose a huge threat to the book fair. People wait for months and collect money to come to this book fair, because they can purchase books at cheaper prices. Now, books are not cheap anymore, and discounts are not as big as before.  “This year, we could purchase some old books at the old prices. However, next year, we would not be able to purchase any book at the old prices, and book sellers would not be able to give considerable discounts for books. At the same time, readers’ ability to purchase books will further wane by next year. This year, people just limited the number of books they bought; however, next year, there will be a huge decline in the number of readers attending this book fair. Without readers, there is no future for the book fair.” Meanwhile, Namal Siriwardena (name changed on request), a 44-year-old private sector worker, explained how he, as a reader, is extremely concerned about high prices of books, and how to manage his expenses to be able to purchase books. “I generally purchase books worth Rs. 20,000-25,000 from the book fair, and it could buy me books I need for several months. However, the situation has changed drastically and suddenly. Unlike in the past few years, this year, I had to think a lot about how much money I can allocate to purchase books without letting that expense affect my other expenses. Due to increased prices of every essential, especially food which is an expense I cannot avoid under any circumstance, this year, I was able to spend only around Rs. 14,000. For that amount, I could only buy books which would have cost around Rs. 6,000-7,000 before the economic crisis.” Adding that that is the situation of many readers who wait till September to buy books at lower rates, Siriwardena added that this situation could seriously impact school children. “I buy books because reading is my hobby. If I had to, I can stop reading, and it is not an issue. However, there are so many children and young people who buy books because they are essential for their studies, and they cannot stop buying books. If the Government or book sellers fail to give them some kind of a relief, high prices of books will have a serious impact on the education of these groups, and that will affect the country’s future as well.”   Future of reading as a habit or hobby   In this context, the future of the habit of reading has become uncertain, and several persons The Morning spoke to raised the same concern. They noted that on one hand, book prices have risen significantly and are likely to rise more, and on the other hand, they have had to allocate more money for essential needs.  In this regard, R. Tharika Isurika, a 24-year-old student, opined that the prevailing situation has posed a massive challenge to both the habit of reading, and the business of printing and selling books. “How can people keep purchasing books at these prices? Book sellers are reluctant to give discounts for books, which is a totally understandable situation. However, even discounted books are too expensive. There may be people who are in a position to purchase books regardless of the price hikes. However, a considerable number of readers are from the middle and low economic classes, and even an increase of Rs. 50 affects them. In a time of crisis, we have had to spend money sparingly, especially in a context where three meals a day itself has become extremely costly.” In this context, she said, reading is no longer a simple day-to-day activity or an inexpensive hobby, but an expensive act which only some can afford.  “When it comes to people who prefer physical books, I think that unless the prevailing situation is addressed soon, the habit of reading would not have a bright future in Sri Lanka. People cannot even afford food or medicine; how can they spend money on books? When readers cannot afford books, it directly affects writers, publishers, and sellers. So, the prevailing situation is a threat to not only readers, but also those parties engaged in providing books.” Although addressing the cost- and material-related aspects of this issue is crucial, according to some readers, re-popularising the culture of using public libraries could help readers to a considerable extent, and is a need of the hour to save public libraries which they said have been forgotten in the recent past.  Speaking to The Morning, U.L. Jayasuriya, a 63-year-old retired accountant, said: “The whole point of establishing public libraries was to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to read even if they cannot purchase books. That is exactly the issue we are facing at the moment – readers find it extremely difficult to purchase books at increased rates. I think this is the best time to start re-popularising the culture of using public libraries again.  “However, since this endeavour is likely to take time, the authorities should pay attention to this without delay. At the same time, public libraries must be provided with more and newer books, and they should be promoted and developed in a way that suits the present and attracts young people. Technology should be used to make it easier to get membership and use public libraries.” In addition, he said that readers too have a responsibility in this regard, noting: “There are many who can afford books despite price increases. I think the authorities who are in charge of books, literature and libraries related matters should encourage these people to share their books or to contribute to local public libraries. There are a lot of generous readers, and all they need is a proper system that ensures that their contributions reach readers who are in need of support.”  


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