UAE: Over 600 books launched at Sharjah International Book Fair, highest in its four-decade history

More than 600 books were launched at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) this year — the highest ever in the fair’s 43-year history.

According to officials, this strengthens the role of SIBF as a regional hub for authors. “This is the highest number of books that have been launched at one edition of the fair,” said Mohan Kumar, External Affairs Executive at SIBF. “Until a few years ago, we only had 10 to 15 book launches every year. The number of authors who launch their book has multiplied over the last couple of years.”

Having been associated with the fair for over 35 years, Kumar credits the Writer’s Forum initiative for the burgeoning number of writers in recent times. “Book fairs around the world don’t really have a stage for young, upcoming or first time writers to launch their books,” he said.

“They usually host book signing sessions of popular writers. However, we noticed that at Sharjah, many people were coming forward to launch their books. At the time we were accommodating them within the halls we had, but we thought that maybe if we expanded on that, we would have more people interested in writing, That is how we came up with the idea for a Writer’s Forum.”

The idea was simple: Build a separate enclosure with a seating area and sound-proof system to give writers from around the world a place to launch their books.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

According to him, the Sharjah government accepted the proposal and granted a fund of Dh350,000 to make it a reality. This year, Kumar said, the Sharjah Book authority received applications from 750 writers, of which they could accommodate over 600.

“The slots at the Writer’s Forum are 25-minutes long and they run all day, everyday during the SIBF,” he said. “It is a completely free service and all the writers have to do is just submit an application. This year, we had only about 500 slots but many writers chose to combine their launches. One particular event saw 10 books being launched in a single 25-minute window.”

Unique launches

Kumar said this year he has seen some unique book launches. “I think the most touching one I encountered was the book written by 62 women from the southern Indian state of Kerala,” he said. “Some of the writers were daily wage workers. Many of them had sold their jewellery or taken out a loan to make enough money to be able to afford a two-day trip to Sharjah and launch their book. It made me realise what an extraordinary platform SIBF had become in the lives of these women. It was a truly humbling thought.”

However, for Kumar, the most delightful factor is that out of the 600 books launched at the fair, more than 100 were written by children and youngsters. “At a time when the world is lamenting about how our children are getting addicted to screens and are not reading, we are seeing an increasing number of children authoring their books. One author, 13-year-old Sajini has authored 24 books in 5 languages. It is amazing to see such prodigies.”

On Saturday, a group of 17 children, aged between seven and 12, launched a book they jointly wrote as part of a creative writing workshop conducted by educational consultancy Vmentor. Kumar added that each time a student launched their book, they were inspiring other classmates and friends to do the same.

Earlier, Khaleej Times had reported how 17-year-old Arab Reading challenge winner Ahmed Al Kawkabani had also launched his book, The Power of Reading, and was signing it at the SIBF signing counter.