Book-sellers and writers who have been dealing with Kannada literature say the sudden spike in book sales should not lead to the conclusion that young people have taken to reading Kannada.
“It is middle-aged or older people wanting classics all the time. There are no young people walking into my store asking for new Kannada fiction,” says Guruprasad D.N., the proprietor of Aakruti Books in Rajajinagar.
His book store is frequented by familiar, old faces and any increase in book sales does not mean that more people have started to read. Also, new writers do not fare very well.
His sentiments are echoed by writer Vasudhendra, author of Harichitta Satya and several short stories.
“My book sells well, and I know for sure that it is people above 40, who have more money these days than in the past, who are behind the increased sales. In the old days, there would be more lending libraries and if one person bought a book, it would be lent around several times. It is not so today when people have more money in general. They spend on other things and they spend on books.
