Sharjah Ahmed Raqqad Al Amiri, Chairman, Sharjah Book Authority, said that preparations for the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) have been completed. The book fair will be held at the Expo Center in Al Taawun, Sharjah from November 3 to 13 under the theme ‘There is always an accurate book everywhere’. UAE Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Ali, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah The fair is under the patronage of Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi. Ahmed Raqqad al-Amiri told a news conference at the Sharjah House of Wisdom Library on Wednesday.
Spain is the guest country this time. This year’s winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature is Tanzanian writer Abdul Razzaq Gurna. Algerian novelist Yasmina Khadra, American businessman Chris Gardner, who directed the American film The Pursuit of Happiness, Amitav Ghosh and Chetan Bhagat from India and traveler Santosh George Kulangara from Kerala will be present. More names of people from India will be announced in the coming days.
Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and TN Prathapan, V.D. Satheesan, magician Gopinath Muthukadu and actor Asif Ali are also attending the fair. Asif Ali’s mother-in-law’s book will be released at the fair. Money Heist is a thriller on TV. The line-up of the series will also be at the fair. The 11-day fair will feature book launches, debates, discussions, interviews, cooking events, concerts and various cultural events. Writers, various artists and publishers will meet at the fair. In 2020, most of the discussions at the fair were online. Guests also attended online.
83 publishers from India
The fair will feature 1559 publishers from 81 countries, including India. 83 publishers including Malayalam will be present. More publishers are coming from Egypt. 293. There will be 240 publishers from the UAE. The others are Britain 132 and Lebanon 111. This time publishers are coming from many new countries. 10 new countries will participate in the fair, including Tanzania, Algeria, Colombia, Cameroon and Sudan. The book fair is from 10 am to 10 pm except Friday. Admission is free to the public on Fridays from 4pm to 10pm. Admission is open to business visitors, publishers, researchers, institutions and libraries from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Visitors must register online at www.sibf.com.
There will be a Writers’ Forum
Book Authority External Affairs Executive Mohan Kumar said that the Writers’ Forum will be held at the Indian Pavilion this time. There was no Writers’ Forum last year as restrictions were imposed following Kovid. The Writers’ Forum is a platform for the release of Indian books, including Malayalam. In the absence of the Writers’ Forum last year, most were released in front of stalls. It is expected that 130 books will be released this time. He said more than 200 applications had been received. As usual, publishers will be arriving with a number of books by famous authors.
Publisher and Library Conferences
The 5th Publishers Conference will be held from October 31 to November 2 before the fair. 520 publishers and 35 publishers will attend. The conference is a three-day conference led by an international publishing organization. Issues faced by publishers will be discussed. The rights to translate the book will be transferred. The 8th Sharjah International Library Conference will be held from November 9 to 11. Librarians, library professionals and speakers will attend. Sharjah Police Central Operations Director General Brigadier General Dr. Ahmed Saeed Al Nauar, Director General of Etisalat Northern Emirates Abdul Aziz Tarim, Sharjah TV. Director Salim Al Gaiti was also present.
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