What others say:

icon-(120-120) Despite its longstanding reputation as a sleepy cultural backwater, there is a quiet renaissance taking place in Goa. One indicator is the sheer amount of books being published each year in Konkani, Marathi and English, which makes the state the “self-publishing capital of India” according to anthropologist and Goa resident Rahul Srivastava. At the vanguard of this movement in self-expression is Goa 1556, run by veteran journalist Frederick Noronha. The company’s name memorialises the date when the first printing press in Asia came into operation in Goa. Noronha says his company doesn’t seek profits but exists because “today, more than ever, Goa needs a voice to articulate its own priorities”. Goa 1556 publishes a book every few months, most recently a beautiful revised edition of Medieval Goa by the historian Dr Teotonio de Souza, an essential text that had been out of print for decades. Source : Time Out Mumbai ISSUE 5 Friday, October 30, 2009

http://goa1556.goa-india.org. All titles available at Broadway Book Centre, Ashirwad Building, next to Rizvi Tower, 18th June Road, Panjim (0832-6647038, http://www.broadwaybooksgoa.com ).

Launched on a rainy day (June 20, 2007), Goa, 1556 is a quest to do things differently, and with goals that are different. Our aim is to democratise the production of knowledge. In our own small, alternative way. And we strive for quality simply by laying down high standards, while actively pursuing the goal of creating space for ‘other voices’ to be heard.

The concept: Goa Reader is a planned series of texts, that explore diverse aspects of Goa, and the influence of this tiny region in diverse pockets of the globe. The first, an e-book, deals with critical essays on the media in Goa (downloadable via the link to the left). In end-December 2007, we came out with ‘Songs of The Survivors’, focussing on the lives of Goan migrants to Burma in the 1940s. As we look forward to more projects — an actively discuss ideas with potential authors and editors — Goa1556 is also encouraging others who wish to know more about how to get a book into print. Whether you do it with us or not, we will try our best to answer your queries and share information about options available in Goa.

Goa: Roughly just a one-thousandth part of India (in landmass and population), Goa has played a role far bigger than its size. In the history of South Asia, and in trade, emigration, and in the achievements of her people. This meeting-point (or, clashing-point) of cultures and one-time emporium of the East, is much more than just a tourist destination, as the current-day powerful image suggests.

Goa — caught between myth, misunderstanding and stereotype — deserves reinterpretation by more critical voices.

Goa, 1556 is an alternative publishing venture, named after the accidental arrival of Asia’s first Gutenberg-inspired printing press in Goa. But the early arrival of the press here did not result in possibilities for free-speech, then. Today, more than ever, Goa needs a voice to articulate its own priorities.

Our priorities: What do be publish? Our priority is non-fiction writing related to Goa. In particular, the emphasis is on books which shed interesting new light on various aspects that help us understand better this complex region called Goa. If you have done (or can do) some interesting work on a topic that needs to get into print, do get in touch. Rest assured, we will go to the maximum extent possible to support what could be a good book from the point of view of a reader in Goa. But don’t let our list of what-we-don’t-do discourage you. We’ve received queries about verse, stories for children and religious writing. If we are unable to work on a book related to your genre, feel free to phone or email your queries, and we’ll work to put you in touch with someone who could possibly help.

Beyond “all rights reserved”: Goa, 1556 supports the principles of copyleft, sharing information and knowledge, and following alternative modes of publishing. We will work to convince our writers, editors and distributors about the power of sharing knowledge. As far as possible, we will not deploy copyright laws as a means of profit maximisation, and will endeavour to offer our readers multiple options to access the books or e-books published by us. In the spirit of sharing, the links to the left also point to other interesting (often Goa-related) ventures of creating e-books or books, some of which also follow alternate models of distribution.