New Delhi, Nov 4: Gen Z readers are turning to a wide spectrum of literary works, ranging from Korean fiction and timeless Kabir’s poetry to books by B R Ambedkar and Osho, according to an internal report of the National Book Trust (NBT).
The report is based on a survey of over 3,600 visitors who purchased books during the New Delhi World Book Fair in January.
The 2026 book fair saw participation by 352 English publishers and over 150 Hindi publishers, besides Urdu and Regional language publishers.
“India’s youth are driving a distinct shift towards cosmopolitan tastes with growing popularity of English titles and the emerging demands for identity-driven literature.
“Purchase decisions of the youth are dependent on content addressing identity, belonging and contemporary social issues. Demands for regional languages are growing but are limited to smaller segments,” the report said.
The report cited demand or preference for psychological thrillers like “The Silent Patient” and “Yellowface”, translated fiction for Korean works like “The Vegetarian” and “Cursed Bunny”, Japanese titles like “Before the coffee gets cold” and “Days at the Morisaki bookshop”, poetry of Kabir, books written by BR Ambedkar, works by Osho and translated copies of the Constitution of India.
Extrapolating the sample’s spending patterns across the total footfall, the NBT estimated that visitors spent approximately Rs 323 crore on books, translating to an average individual expenditure of Rs 1,615.80.
According to the NBT report, themes revolving around identity, belonging and contemporary social issues were among the big draws. Fantasy and speculative fiction, meanwhile, offered readers a welcome escape from academic literature.
The 53rd New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 took place from January 10 to January 18 at Bharat Mandapam. (PTI)
