ABU DHABI, 30 March 2007 — Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which opens tomorrow at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) promises to be like no other fair in the region. Its recent repositioning, through collaboration with Frankfurt Book Fair, sees the fair emerging as the leading marketplace for publishing and book distribution in the Middle East and North Africa.
New additions to the fair include a professional program, discussion forums and a new literary prize — the Sheikh Zayed Award — worth $1.9 million. While all of these events are free of charge and open to the public, their focus is on publishers, agents, writers, translators and librarians, with the aim being to educate and promote dialogue between visitors. The aim of the award is to recognize outstanding individuals, independent of their heritage, whose work has enriched the cultural, literary and social life of the Arab world.
From 9am-1pm, these professional sessions will cover all aspects of the book trade — from copyright issues to supply and demand, audio books and the promotion of reading. Split into two categories, “Tea and Trade” and “Lunch and Lectures”, the professional program includes speakers from publishing houses such as Hachette Livre International, and organizations such as Literature Across Frontiers. Most afternoons and evenings of the fair are devoted to forums which are also split into two categories: “Authors and Translators” and “Talking Tolerance in Times of Tension”. “Authors and Translators” sessions offer the chance for authors to meet those who translate their work.