Chennai: The Chennai International Book Fair (CIBF) is ready for its fourth edition with the ambitious target of hosting publishers and literary agents from 100 countries for its fourth edition in January 2026, which holds itself as a growing global center for literary exchange.
Fair, the youngest international book in Asia, has increased rapidly since its establishment. In 2025, it attracted participation from 64 countries, and officials say that the upcoming version is determined to expand which reaches considerable.
Tamil Nadu School Education Secretary B. Chandra Mohan said that the success of the fair was the result of engaging with boundaries without direct international associations such as African Publishers networks, Frankophone nations and publishers.
“This active outreach has helped Chennai firmly place the global publication map,” he said.
To increase these efforts, a delegation of the state’s school education department will travel to Germany in October to attend the world’s largest publication market Frankfurt Book Fair.
The team has already published more than 30 appointments in English and other foreign languages with potential co-publishers to find out the Tamil classics and modern works published by the state’s textbook corporation.
The major highlights employed in Frankfurt propagate the comparative etymology dictionary of Tamil and Indo-European languages with the aim of attracting attention of international publishers and European government agencies.
The revival of the UNESCO courier magazine in Tamil is under discussion with UNESCO officials in Paris, a publication that promotes cross-cultural dialogues and currently brought into six global languages.
Parallel to the fair, the Tamil Nadu government has announced an ambitious translation project. Over the next three years, Thirukkural will be translated into 45 additional languages, while Tamil epics such as Silappathikram and Manimegalai will be translated into 25 languages.
In addition, 500 Tamil books are planned to translate into English over five years, opening the way for further adaptation in other foreign languages.
In the 2025 version, more than 1,300 memorandums were signed to understand translation and exchange. Construction at that speed, CIBF 2026 expects Chennai’s role as a vibrant center for global literary and cultural cooperation.
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