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Is romance fading out of bookshelves?

LUCKNOW, JUNE 8. Ask the youngsters about the latest fad in reading and a majority of them would swear by J K Rowling's Harry Potter series and other thrillers.

So where has the era of reading romantic books gone?

Surprisingly, the teenagers and even the middle-aged people are hardly interested in reading any of the recent romantic books and rather opt for books providing thrill, suspense and horror.

Believe it or not, but over the last one decade, the sale of romantic books including the famous Mills and Boons series faced tough competition from the contemporary thriller comics and books.

Owner of Universal Book Store in Lucknow, R C Lal told UNI that youngsters no longer demand books on love stories but want to read something thrilling.

So is love not on their mind? Says Mr Lal, ``It's not that. The thing is that with a change in their lifestyle, love has certainly got a different meaning and the contemporary books on romance and love do not impress them. Only a few loyal readers are interested in old classics on romance, otherwise it's a complete no, no.''

He said youngsters prefer to watch romantic movies but shy away from reading good and quality books on love, though they are quite open in discussing the subject in public, which was earlier considered a taboo.

The other bookstore owners in the city also echoed a similar view. They said they themselves were surprised that some of the schools which till about 10 years ago, recommended Mills and Boons and Thomas Hardy series for young students of class IX to XII, are no longer promoting them.

Apart from the all time classic `Love Story' by Eric Segal, Bridget Jone's Diary by Helen Fielding and one of the world's bestsellers `The Bridges of Madison County' by Robert James Waller (Hollywood movies have also been made on these classics), there are hardly any other romantic books which the booksellers wish to keep on their stands as they are rarely picked up by the readers.

However, they see the latest book in the market, a compilation of love stories of several classic authors, edited by none other than legendary author Ruskin Bond as some ray of hope. The book contains already published stories by authors including Guy De Maupassent, and two stories on Mr Bond's own love life.

Says Mr Lal, ``People still like to read nostalgic romances. They take you back to an age where romance had some meaning.''

He said it was like as if the sentimental and emotional approach to love was no longer deemed to be a readable subject.

Even the school and college libraries are more packed with horror and suspense books and there's very less on romance. The book stall owners said earlier when the students reached class VIII and IX and had just finished reading the Enid Blyton series, they used to bring in fresh stock of Mills and Boons and series by Sidney Sheldon and Thomas Hardy. But now the trend has more-or-less stopped.

Besides, the children of today, who believe in making the best use of their time by switching on their computers and playing games on it, are not interested and neither have any knowledge about classics on romance.

At the most, it is the mini books comprising of love quotations, soft toys and cards expressing the sentiments which are popular among people, while the `oldies' on love and romance get the last shelf-space on the bookstores.

UNI

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