Every November, as the Sharjah International Book Fair comes alive, a peculiar migration begins from Kerala — of writers, or rather people who have decided to call themselves writers. They pack their bags with boxes of freshly printed books, and get on a flight to Sharjah to make literary history, or at least a Facebook post that looks something like it.

At the airports, they are impossible to miss. They wear colourful kurtas and carry tote bags filled with their own books. Some even hold handmade posters announcing their ‘international release’. There is a glow of achievement on their faces, as if they were departing to collect the Nobel Prize. Airlines must be silently blessing the tribe. For two weeks in November, the flights from Kochi to Sharjah are packed, not with traders or tourists but with poets, philosophers and literary performers.

Once they reach Sharjah, the real fair begins. The fair has two parts: one for books and another for egos. The second one is usually more crowded. Authors move through the aisles like hunters on a mission, their quarry a well-known face that might lend legitimacy to their latest creation. This is usually a senior writer but could just as well be a celebrity willing to ‘release’ their book, ideally in front of a small audience and a camera phone.

The ‘launch’ event could happen near a tea stall if not outside the main........

© National Herald