Yunus Emiroglu and Mehmet Baran, the authors who met with their readers at the booth of Dua publications and signed their books, spoke to the İLKHA reporter and talked about the importance of reading books today, when reading rates are decreasing every day.
Underlining that the habit of reading in Turkey is low and that book fairs contribute to the reading culture even a little bit, Yunus Emiroglu said: "we are in a very nice environment in Batman. The '3rd Book Fair' is being held in Batman. I joined last year. This year, there's a nice atmosphere. I wish this fair to be a means of good. We know that reading habits are very low in our country, but I believe that such fairs contribute to the increase of reading habits in a serious way. In that respect, it is useful to increase such activities, even a little more comprehensive, especially in the region.
"We must contribute to the culture of reading"
Emiroglu continued:" Contributing to reading culture isn't just about organizing fairs. Liking reading starts in the family. It goes on a little bit at school. It is a process of evolution. It is necessary to engage in a number of encouraging activities to increase the reading rate around us. there is also an economic dimension of the reading. Indeed, the financial situation of our people is low. In this respect, it is very difficult to buy and read books, especially for people working on minimum wage. In that respect, NGOs, governorships and local authorities should be more supportive.
"We must give our children the habit of reading books"
Emiroglu stated: "In order for the intellectual development of reading to develop, it is necessary to make a lot of effort for such a habit to evolve. It's possible to practice it a little more than rhetoric. If a mother and father take some time to read at home, if a teacher at school enters and leaves with a book other than a textbook while attending class; if we have something about reading in the market, in the bus, in the street, the young people who see it will be affected by this. We need to set an example for the young people so it can have a little more influence on them. (ILKHA)