The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has announced its participation in the 42nd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), organised by the Sharjah Book Authority from 1-12 November 2023 at Expo Centre Sharjah.  ALC will showcase the aesthetics of the Arabic language at the global event, further to highlighting its ongoing work to advance the language’s status as a cornerstone of Emirati and Arab identity.

The Centre will present a wide range of publications aimed at various segments of the community, and highlight several of its most prominent cultural projects dedicated to advancing the publishing sector – most notably the Kalima Project for Translation, which aims to revitalise translation efforts in the Arab world and enrich the Arab library by translating notable literary works from foreign languages into Arabic.

The Centre’s stand at the Fair will offer visitors a range of its most notable publications, with up to 500 titles across fields including general knowledge, philosophy, psychology, social sciences, languages, arts, literature, history, and geography, as well as children’s and young adult literature.

The ALC’s array of literary awards will be showcased, including the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, the ‘Kanz Al Jeel’ Award, and the Golden Narrative (Sard Al Thahab) Award. Visitors will be able to browse literary projects such as One Hundred and One Novels: Arab Novels that Enriched the 20th Century and One Hundred and One Books from Arab Heritage; Al Markaz: The Journal of Arab Studies; Atheer Al Kutub and Wajeez Al Kutub for e-books and audiobooks (grouped under the title “Eyes of Arabic Prose) (Oyoon Al Nathr Al Arabi); the Emirati Treasures initiative; the ‘We Read for Children’ initiative; and the ‘Excerpts from Travel Books’ initiative, among others.

The 42nd Sharjah International Book Fair is set to welcome as many as 2,033 publishers from 108 countries, who will present more than 1.5 million titles from across various sectors of knowledge and culture. This year’s Fair will also include 1,700 events bringing together over 215 participants from 69 countries, along with 460 events under a cultural programme presented by 127 participants from 33 countries.