Asian authors, celebs to grace Sharjah book fair
Prominent personalities from India, Pakistan, Philippines and Indonesia to interact with visitors at 11-day fair
Sharjah: A number of Asian authors, celebs, filmmakers and journalists will be participating at Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), its organiser said on Monday.
Sharjah Book Authority, which is organising the 37th edition of SIBF at Expo Centre Sharjah from October 31 to November 10, said Asian personalities “have made their mark across all facets of human endeavours”.
Visitors can expect to meet and greet renowned personalities, attend seminars and speeches, and engage in literary panel discussions with their favourite authors.
Some of the VIP guests are Soha Ali Khan, Indian actress and author of ‘The Perils of Being Moderately Famous,’ and Nandita Das, one of the most gripping actors and directors of Indian cinema.
Other big names include Gaur Gopal Das, Indian motivational speaker and author; Prakash Raj, Indian actor, director, producer and television presenter; Pandit Dr Lakshminarayana Subramaniam, acclaimed Indian violinist, composer, and conductor; Anwar Masoud, a popular Pakistani poet; and Muthuvel Karunanidhi Kanimozhi, Indian politician, poet and journalist.
SIBF will be welcoming personalities such as Alvin B. Yapan from the Philippines, who is an award-winning novelist and filmmaker; Resul Pookutty, an Indian film sound designer, editor, and mixer who came into prominence with his work in Slumdog Millionaire; Chetan Bhagat, author of nine blockbuster books; Manoj K Jayan, an Indian actor; and Eranholi Moosa, Mappila singer from India.
Among the list of novelists at SIBF, there is also Laaleen Sukhera, who is a writer and editor from Pakistan. She is the author of Austenistan which is a whimsical take on Austen’s world through contemporary lens. From Indonesia, SIBF will welcome Avianti Armand, who is the author of ‘Women Whose Names Were Erased’.
This edition will also be hosting numerous poets: Abdul Hakim Nasif, a TV anchor, journalist turned prominent humorous Urdu poet; Anwar Ali, an Indian poet, lyricist, translator, and documentary filmmaker; P Raman, a post-modern Malayalam poet; Divakaran Vishnumangalam, well known Malayalam poet and geologist; and R J Naga, a radio jockey turned poet.