Among the best-selling books at the fair thus far are journalist Şamil Tayyar’s “Operasyon Ergenekon: Gizli Belgelerde Karanlık İlişkiler” (Operation Ergenekon: Dark Relationships in Secret Documents), which has sold 60,000 copies in its 16th edition, and Altan Tan’s “Kürt Sorunu: Ya Tam Kardeşlik Ya Hep Birlikte Kölelik” (Kurdish Problem: Full Fellowship or Slavery Altogether), both published by Timaş. Journalist Hasan Cemal’s “Kürtler” (Kurds), published by Doğan Publishing, and İsmail Çolak’s “Kürt Meselesi’nin Açılımı” (Expansion of the Kurdish Issue) are also among the most popular books in the genre.Middle-aged people are the most interested in books on the country’s hot topics, fair organizers say. Publishing house representatives state that they believe bookworms follow the country’s agenda closely. “In comparison with previous years, avid readers have shown more interest in books about political subjects this year. Political topics such as the Ergenekon [case] and the [government’s] democratic initiative have had an impact on this,” Cezmi Aşuroğlu, Timaş deputy director general, stated. The books Timaş released as part of the series “contemporary politics” are most popular, he added.
Fair-goers are also enjoying books from Güncel Publishing House, which also has a booth at the fair. Among the house’s best-selling titles is journalist Belma Akçura’s “Devletin Kürt Filmi, 1925-2009 Kürt Raporları” (Kurdish Film of the State, Reports on Kurds from 1925 to 2009). Faruk Tekin, a Güncel representative at the fair, said books relating to Ergenekon and the Kurdish initiative, also known as the democratic initiative, have left their mark on the fair, adding that “the public is following what’s on the agenda.”
Kaynak Publishing House’s best-selling book was “Ergenekon Savunması” (Ergenekon Defense) by Doğu Perinçek, the chairman of the Workers’ Party (İP), who is currently in jail pending trial on charges of membership in Ergenekon.
