Owais Mughal
Just like rest of the world, Harry Potter’s seventh book, titled as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows got launched in Pakistan today amid fanfare. Considering the diminishing trend of reading printed books worldwide, it is a positive sign to see the type of demand this book has created among Pakistani muggles.
Big bookstores all over Pakistan arranged launching ceremonies and theme decorations to go with the launch.
However, in an increasing sign of a divided society, a bomb scare laid rest to one such ceremony at Park Towers Mall in Karachi. The book will now be sold at this venue unceremoniously. While we are talking of a divided society, Shoaib Mansoor‘s movie which was discussed at ATP a few days ago also got released yesterday.
Going back to Harry Potter series, the suggested retail price of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in Pakistan is about Rs 2000 (US $33).
It is however, being sold at a discounted retail price of Rs 1595 (~US $27) with pirated versions being advertised for as low as at Rs 195 to Rs 295 only. The retail price of the book seems too high for the buying power of general populace therefore the threat of piracy looms large. One shopekeeper attributed piracy to be as high as 75% of total market sales. Spokesperson of Liberty Books while talking to Dawn newspaper said:
“Prominent notices have been put up in Urdu Bazaar and other places warning would-be pirates that strict legal action will be taken against them.�
News from Islamabad say that Saeed Books of Jinnah Super Market ordered 2000 copies of this book with 700 being pre-reserved. Mr books in Super Market ordered 200 and London Book Company in Kohsar Market 100 copies.
News from Karachi say that Liberty Books alone got 3000 pre orders with 75 orders coming through their online service. Liberty Books in Karachi had planned a themed release of the book with audio-visual display of Harry Potter movie scenes and posters. This show at Park Towers Mall had to be cancelled for the reasons mentioned above.
I couldn’t find Harry Potter news from Lahore yet but Harry Potter sales may not be much different there either or in other major cities of Pakistan. Metroblogging Lahore had this post on Harry Potter coming to Lahore.
The previous two books of Harry Potter sold in excess of 10000 in Pakistan so there is a good chance that latest book also will do a good business.
This last book of the series was much awaited because in an interview in 2006, J.K. Rowling the author of Harry Potter series had said that atleast two characters will die in the last book. Now the question is who will they be? Will they be Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort? I guess we’ll all know by tomorrow.
People sometimes ask about what is so special about Harry Potter and its popularity in Pakistan. I think it is possibly the new generations love for fantasy stories, just like the generation before. It is just like the love of eastern fantasy tales of alif laila and Pakistan’s very own daastaan-e-ameer-Hamza and Umro-Ayyaar series which kept many of us hooked on to them many years ago.
Apart from Harry Potter’s news emanating from Pakistan, the book had reached the top spot worldwide on both the Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble bestseller lists just a few hours after the date of publication was announced on 1 February 2007. As I am writing these lines only 1 minute is left before the book is released in US. I will now go out to get my copy. Hopefully I can find one tonight.
I have never been interested in the stories and frankly don’t understand the whole circus surrounding them. They are rather mediocre books and the premise (sorcerer in training) is worn threadbare. I guess every generation thinks it is the first to discover something. I remember my sister used to read a popular series of dragon books. Now there’s a new generation of dragon stories(Erdogan) almost exactly like the old. They are just a once a decade recycled pop culture staple.
Problem is there is not much depth or insight in any of them. It is very difficult to get my students who are supposed to be at college level interested in anything serious because they have consumed this sort of thing their whole lives. They cannot dig down to see layers of meaning because they have had shallow reading experiences. Then you ask them to read, oh I don’t know, Faulkner or anything, and they can’t. They just can’t, they don’t have the cognitive skills for it.
Some people say “oh, it’s just fun to be part of trend” or “as long as they are reading something, it’s better than watching television”, maybe that’s so, but I feel the “muggles” are missing something. Maybe they will go on to read and discover other things. I don’t know, and I don’t like to consider myself a literary snob. But I know real authors, excellent authors, who can’t get contracts because publishers don’t want anything but the next Ms. Rowling. It’s discouraging. Make no mistake about it–Ms. Rowling is not exactly a hack, but she does answer to a committee. And books written by committee have a way of not being too great…. “Now, okay, somebody has to die in the last book, got to keep it a secret who it is; got to build up the buzz, man, got to keep it going, baby!” Am I the only person on the planet who resents being manipulated that way? It’s all just a marketing exercise.
On the other hand, Barbara Kingsolver has a new book out. I just finished The Poisonwood Bible, one of her previous efforts. So when I head for the bookstore today I will be spending some money and you can bet it won’t be to find out “what happens at Hogwarts”.
It’s like “who shot J.R.”–much ado about nothing, a phrase I borrow from one of the really good English writers.
I have never read Harry Potter. But I do remember having read Daastaan-e-Amir Hamza and other stories involving Ummro Ayyar, they were brilliantly written.
Btw, a very good website and very interesting articles and comments to read.
cute kid, Mashallah and good name as well. I am sure you would make him familiar with our childhood series like Umro Ayyar and Amir Hamza(?).
Speaking of Umro, I think Umro Ayyar series is several times better than Harry Putter. As I said on KMB, having a book of Putter series has become some fashion or status symbol in Pakistan,atleast in karachi.
I also want to know that do we still have magz like Nonehal,Bacho k Dunya ,Jugno or nobody read them anymore?
Also, Speaking of stories, I would like to salute managment of “Cassette Kahani” which was quite innovative idea in early 80s and I had almost all volumes. I hope some of you would have listened those stories specially Sindbad series?
Updated: July 21, 2007: 1137 Hours: Here is our very own copy of Harry Potter’s latest book bought from the local Wal Mart. Ibrahim agreed to be a not-so-willing model for this photo
Fahad, thanks for pointing out the right spellings. Corrections made.