Writers, readers had a busy year

According to poet-novelist Tabish Khair, who released his novel "How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position" in 2012, the Indian literary scene during the year was "at the glitzy 'cosmopolitan' end, a lot of sound and fury, signifying very little, but elsewhere some quietly solid books which will probably get their due in a few years".

The year also saw one of the biggest tie-ups when Bertelsmann and Pearson decided to combine the activities of their respective trade-book publishing companies, Random House and Penguin Group. The closing of the transaction is scheduled to take place in the second half of 2013, following regulatory approval.

The new publishing group will include all the publishing divisions and imprints of Random House and Penguin in India, the US and the UK among other countries. Indian authors won awards and recognitions, sales saw considerable growth, new writers emerged, literary festivals were galore and acclaimed writers visited the country.

The year 2012 saw congregation of writers and seasoned authors from the country and abroad in events like the Jaipur Literature Festival, Hay festival (Thiruvananthapuram), Kovalam Lit Fest (Kerala) and Kolkata Literary Festival. The year saw the Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF) making its debut. It was held from December 7-9 at the Jayamahal Palace.

"The BLF was off to a good

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