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| Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi and Algerian culture minister Azzedine Mihoubi | |
The 37th Sharjah International Book Fair opened Tuesday morning with a lavish ceremony in front of more than 1,000 guests that featured dance and an elaborate light show, followed by remarks from Ahmad Al Ameri, chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, and Algerian Culture Minister Azzedine Mihoubi. Then came a speech from Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah and founder of the book fair, who 40 years ago made an appeal to "stop building concrete structures and start building knowledge and culture." Sheikh Sultan then presented a slew of awards, including Culture Personality of the Year, which went to Mihoubi, and Best Arabic Novel, which went to Aicha El Basri for her novel Life Without Me. After the ceremony, Sheikh Sultan cut the ribbon and opened the show floor.
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Japanese bookstore chain Books Kinokuniya set up shop at the Guest of Honor pavilion for the duration of the fair, offering a wide selection of manga, novels and books about Japanese history and culture, virtually all of them in English. All books for sale at the booth, and at the book fair in general, were marked down.
The Japanese Pavilion was also host to a variety of cultural activities, including documentary screenings, author panels and tutorials in ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arrangement. Vendors also sold sencha, matcha and many types of Japanese snacks and baked goods.
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In 2017, the Books Kinokuniya store in the Dubai Mall moved into a new location, downsizing from around 68,000 square feet to roughly 30,000. Despite the drastic reduction in square footage, the store remains the largest bookstore in the United Arab Emirates. It sells mostly English-language books, along with large selections of Arabic and Japanese titles. Nonbook offerings include stationery, anime and manga figurines and more.
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| The busy Borders stand at Sharjah. | |
Borders lives! Sort of.... Following Borders's closure in 2011, Dubai-based retail company Al Maya Group, which owns supermarkets, hypermarkets and more throughout the UAE and the region, purchased the Borders name and franchise rights. There are Borders locations throughout the UAE, and a Borders is coming soon to the Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping center. The Borders stands at the book fair, meanwhile, were always bustling.
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Leonard Mlodinow, theoretical physicist and author of Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Time of Change, was on a panel Thursday night to discuss creative problem solving and the "bottom-up" method of elastic thinking, as well as societal resistance to new ideas. Also on the panel was Abdullah Al Hadiya, a poet, researcher and the editor-in-chief of Al Nadba magazine, while Iman bin Chaibah moderated the discussion.
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Sharjah Publishing City, the world's first free economic zone devoted exclusively to publishing, measures 40,000 square meters--around 430,550 square feet--and has some 600 offices, with about 300 available to renters. In addition to the offices, there are print-on-demand services as well as climate-controlled warehouse and storage spaces. There is a travel agency in the building, along with a customer-service department to help with visa and immigration requirements. In terms of amenities, there is one cafe already up and running, several restaurants planned, multiple meeting and conference rooms and an 88-seat theater. Housing developments, featuring home and apartments to both buy and rent, have been built nearby and a mall is going up next door. --Alex Mutter