Books on the Cuban Revolution and working-class politics published by Pathfinder Press were on display for the first time at the annual international book fair in Colombo, Sri Lanka, one of the largest in Asia. This year’s event, held Sept. 18-26, drew more than 1 million participants, organizers report.

The books were prominently displayed at the stand of the Friendship Book Centre, a long-established bookseller in Colombo and one of more than 400 exhibitors at the fair.

According to Friendship owner Iqbal Mohomed, among the most popular titles were those by Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara. Other books sold included Women in Cuba: The Making of a Revolution Within the Revolution by Vilma Espín, Asela de los Santos, and Yolanda Ferrer; What Is Surrealism? by André Breton; Rosa Luxemburg Speaks; and Humanism and Socialism by George Novack.

Mohomed noted that few books at the fair were available in Tamil, the language of nearly a quarter of Sri Lanka’s population. Tamils are an oppressed nationality in Sri Lanka. They comprise the bulk of agricultural laborers on the country’s tea, rubber, coconut, and other plantations. Many others work in garment factories and other jobs in the cities.

—MICHAEL BAUMANN