SHARJAH: Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), an 11-day festival of international reading, one of the world’s four largest book fairs, will be held at Sharjah Expo Centre from Nov.6-16.

SIBF, which had shown unprecedented growth in the history of Arab fair of letters, will witness the participation of 1,010 exhibitors from 53 countries, including 23 Arab and 26 non-Arab countries.

The calendar of events of the book fair, in which internationally acclaimed men of letters will take part, was unveiled at a press conference held at Qasba Canal Theatre on Wednesday.

The fair will feature a diverse range of programmes and activities, with thousands of titles on display, covering various subjects in literature, science, knowledge, culture, and philosophy.

The press conference was attended by Abdullah Al Owais, chairman of the department of culture and information and Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, director of Sharjah International Book Fair and other senior officials.

The fair’s management revealed the details of existing and new associated activities and announced the guest of honour, number of participants, the countries which will participate for the first time, number of exhibitors and the cultural awards which will be distributed during the fair as well as a number of related topics.

A live drama was performed on the sidelines of the press conference by Emirati actor Abdullah Abu Aabed, focusing on the role of family in encouraging the habit of reading.

Portugal, New Zealand, Hungary and UK are participating for the first time. Participants will exhibit 405,000 titles, which is 20,000 titles more than the number of books showcased the previous year.

The fair management also announced a line-up of over 580 activities scheduled throughout the Fair’s 11 day duration. Lebanon will be present as the guest of honour in recognition of their significant contribution to Arab culture.

Speaking about the occasion, Al Ameri said: “The continuous successes and rising popularity that SIBF is gaining would not have been possible without the unlimited support of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, whose directives serve as a guiding reference that we use to enable the event to maintain this high ranking position.”

Chairman of the department of culture and information Abdallah Al Owais said that this exhibition has become a well-known centrepiece in the Arab and international region.

“We offer prizes related to books and reading, while keeping in mind the creative initiatives of His Highness Dr Sultan Al Qasimi, who enhances every edition with valuable lessons related to the exhibition and it’s message,” he added on book pricing structure.

The Director-General of the ECSSR His Excellency Dr Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi added that the fair “ably demonstrates the UAE’s ambition to showcase the most advanced levels of contemporary knowledge. It is also very satisfying to know that this year’s Strategic Visions, the journal of the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research, is the strategic partner to a book fair that enjoys such a long history of success and achievement.”

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