Sharjah International Book Fair to be Star Studded
The Expo Centre Sharjah will play host to the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), the third largest book fair in the world.
Taking place over a course of 11 days from November 3-13, 2021, the milestone edition will bring 1,566 publishers from 83 countries along with millions of titles under its roof. The book fair is also a gateway to a wide global audience of people who come together for the love of the written word, engaging thousands of readers and industry professionals.
In this context H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, sovereign ruler of the emirate of Sharjah and member of the Federal Supreme Council of the UAE explains, “Those of us who enjoy reading in the emirate of Sharjah are very keen to create a reading community and promote the benefits of reading among children. For that reason, we provide the best, most suitable books for all the family. We believe that books must be available to all and from this concept we turn book fairs into an oasis of knowledge and enlightenment.”
The 40th edition of the annual book fair will be a star -studded event featuring none other than the current Nobel laureate of Literature, Tanzanian-born novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah, amongst a host of 85 prolific writers, screenwriters of leading 21st century shows, renowned authors, illustrators and creatives from around the world.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the entity that has been leading regional efforts to enable the publishing industry chart its post-pandemic recovery and continuity, SIBF 2021 will welcome the intellectuals to lead the fair’s 970 events and activities including literary discussions, workshops, seminars, cultural shows, concerts, theatre, and more, under the theme There’s always a right book, inspired by SBA’s international campaign Into Books, which has been making waves around the world since its global unveiling this August. Amongst the international participants, nine countries will debut in the fair including Cameroon, Colombia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
SIBF 2021 will host Kuwaiti journalist and writer Taleb Alrefai as cultural personality of the year to honour his rich contributions to Arabic literature through his novels, short stories, literary criticisms, as well as his role in reviving the Gulf region’s literature and building bridges between Arab and Western cultures for over three decades. The event will also host a stellar line up of authors and cultural personalities from around the world.
A brand-new feature of the SIBF programme, a two-day National Libraries Summit, will be organised at the SBA headquarters in Sharjah on November 8-9, 2021. The theme of the summit is Attend, Interact and Influence and will be attended by 60 participants from 20 counties and 20 national libraries from around the world that will be engaging in several discussions and four networking meetings.
Coinciding with its 40th anniversary, SBA will launch the Sharjah International Book Fair Smart App compatible with both Android and iOS devices. The app will allow users to view the entire activities roster, view participating publishers and titles available, and plan journeys by setting personalized notifications for upcoming activities.
“The thought behind selecting this edition’s theme for SIBF ‘There is always a right book’, was that the messages we sent out to the world with our recent global campaign ‘Into Books’, will find its way to realization as every SIBF 2021 visitor finds a book to fuel their interests and passions,” contemplates Khoula Al Mujaini, General Coordinator of SIBF.
