Sharjah: The 35-year-old Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) has evolved into a cherished attraction for many book lovers and publishers from around the world.
Providing a great platform for publishers to exhibit their latest titles and books, it has compelled them to return to it year after year and further expand their customer base.
This year, there are more than 1,680 publishing houses from 60 countries taking part and more than 1.5 million books displayed at the event.
Sweden’s publishing house Dar Al Muna, established in 1948, wants to spread Swedish literature to Arabic-speaking readers in the region by translating works into Arabic. They believe SIBF is a great platform to reach out to readers in the UAE.
Heba Al Nadaf, representing the booth, said Dar Al Muna has returned to the book fair many times.
“With each passing year [of our participation], visitors to the fair are getting to know more about us, which encourages us to return. Many of the works we showcase appeal to visitors because we bring in some of the bestselling Swedish and Scandinavian books which have been translated into the Arabic language.”
Al Nadaf said that they also bring works for children and youth translated into Arabic, including philosophical and historical books by internationally known Swedish authors to the fair.
“Many families who are familiar with the authors end up purchasing titles for their children.”
Another publishing house, DC Books, the largest publisher in Kerala, India, and a publisher of books in Malayalam, returned to the fair this year and represented 20 other publishers from India, too. School students were seen gathered around this section looking for popular international books and novels.
Ravi Decee, CEO of DC Books, told Gulf News: “The fair is by far the biggest in the region and the UAE has become the gateway to Middle East, which is why all these publishers choose to exhibit again. Also, I believe, the dedication and commitment of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, towards the book fair is further driving this [popularity].”
In Hall 5, a booth representing a German publishing house called Georg Olms is attracting German-speaking readers. Several books they are showcasing are on humanities and they also have German translations of the books of Dr Shaikh Sultan’s books.
Dietrich Olms, managing director, said many of their customers are Germans living in the UAE who are interested to purchase the books directly from their stalls.
“This is our eighth year here and it’s a fantastic point to meet other international colleagues. It has been well-organised since day one,” he said.
