SHARJAH: Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan will be among the international guests at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which opens at Expo Centre Sharjah on 4 November with Oman as Guest of Honour.
Satheesan, who took office in May after leading the Congress-led United Democratic Front back to power in Kerala, joins a line-up of 106 writers, artists and thinkers from 25 countries. The 12-day fair, held under the theme “Made of Stories”, will bring together 2,673 publishers and exhibitors from 124 countries and stage 1,500 cultural and artistic events.
Other international guests include American translator and writer Daisy Rockwell, American-Canadian novelist John Vaillant, Chinese novelist and screenwriter Liu Zhenyun, Filipino historian Ambeth R. Ocampo, Nigerian author Nnedi Okorafor, British novelist Clare Mackintosh and Indian actress and writer Shenaz Treasurywala. Australian writer Peter Gould, South African actress Salamina Mosese, Singaporean poet Natalie Wang, German novelist Daniela Tully and Thailand’s Rewat Panpipat will also attend.
Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), said the theme celebrates how stories passed down through generations shape memory and identity. He credited the fair’s 45-year journey to the cultural vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and said SBA Chairperson Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi was steering its growth as a global publishing platform.
Arab and Emirati writers
More than 50 authors from 17 Arab countries will take part. Kuwaiti novelist Saud Alsanousi, winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) for “The Bamboo Stalk”, heads the Arab line-up alongside Naguib Mahfouz Medal winners Hammour Ziada of Sudan and Omaima Al Khamis of Saudi Arabia, Lebanese novelist Najwa Barakat, Sudan’s Amir Tag Elsir and Moroccan narratologist Dr Said Yaktine.
Emirati participants include Dr Sultan Al Amimi, Chairman of the Emirates Writers Union; novelist Ali Abu Al Reesh; playwright Dr Habib Ghuloom; poet and translator Dr Shihab Ghanem; and IPAF shortlistees Reem Al Kamali and Nadia Al Najjar. Dubai Abulhoul, Aisha Sultan and Nasser Al Dhaheri are also on the programme.
Oman as Guest of Honour
Oman will bring 50 participants, including 41 writers and poets, for a programme of 15 cultural sessions, six children’s workshops and 20 artistic performances, among them daily music and folk shows.
Omani participants include novelist Zahran Al Qasmi, Dr Mohammed Al Yahyai, poet Hassan Al Matrooshi, winner of the Al Muallaqa Prize, and Dr Abdulaziz Al Omairi, winner of the Al Burda Award for Nabati Poetry.
Ahmed bin Saud Al Rawahi, Director of the Muscat International Book Fair, said Oman’s selection reflected a shared history and close ties rooted in brotherhood and neighbourliness.
Thrillers, theatre and food
The fifth Thriller Festival, run with Capital Crime London and Thriller Festival New York from 7 to 10 November, will feature Mackintosh, Karen Dionne, Vaseem Khan, Abir Mukherjee and David Fennell, alongside Arab crime writers Noha Dawoud, Ibrahim Al Marzouqi and Adel Al Sumaiti.
Three ticketed productions are planned: the musical “When Memories Sing” on 7 November, the family science show “Impossible or Science?!” on 8 November, and the outdoor production “Waterland” on 14 and 15 November. Egyptian actor Khaled El Sawy will lead an acting course and Tully a fiction-writing course, both requiring registration.
New visitor attractions include Poets’ Corner, where visitors’ stories are turned into Arabic and English poems, and Future Hands District, an interactive city introducing children to professions. The Cookery Corner will feature chefs including Mohammad Orfali, Romy Gill and Monisha Bharadwaj.
Industry events
The fair’s professional programme opens on 31 October with a publishers’ training course run with New York University for more than 200 publishers from 17 countries. The 16th Sharjah Publishers Conference follows from 1 to 3 November under the theme “Publishing in an Accelerating Age”, with nine countries taking part for the first time.
The Sharjah International Library Conference, organised with the American Library Association, will bring more than 400 librarians together from 7 to 9 November.
SBA said it is working with the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority on extra parking and shuttle services, with details to be announced.
