The 1605 novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, the life and work of eighth-century Arab polymath Al Khalil ibn Ahmad Al Farahidi, and the careers of pioneering Egyptian painter Inji Aflatoun and singer Mohammed Abdel Wahab will be among the subjects explored at this year’s Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
Taking place from September 13 to 18 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the 35th staging has begun revealing key parts of its line-up on its website, with more authors, guests and speakers to be announced.
The event was postponed from its original April 11 to 20 dates. Organisers, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, said the move followed consultations with publishers, international partners and UAE authorities over travel, overseas participation and publishing logistics.
The change also pushed back the ceremony for the 20th Sheikh Zayed Book Award, which will now be held during the fair, with the date to be announced soon.
Al Farahidi, a pioneering linguist whose work helped establish Arabic lexicography and prosody, has been designated the fair’s Focus Personality. Authors, scholars and poets will examine his life and legacy across a series of discussions.
Al Khalil Al Farahidi and the First Arabic Dictionary, taking place on September 14, examines how he organised the sounds of Arabic in his lexicographical work. Al Farahidi and the Music of Arabic Poetry, on September 16, turns to his development of Arabic prosody, the metrical system underpinning classical poetry and still used by poets today.
Cervantes’s Don Quixote has been selected as the Book of the World. Published in two parts in the early 17th century, the novel by the Spanish writer follows an ageing nobleman who becomes convinced he is a knight-errant and sets out on a series of adventures with his companion Sancho Panza.
Regarded as a foundational work of the modern novel, it is the subject of several events.
Cervantes and the Birth of the Modern Novel, on September 14, considers Don Quixote's influence on fiction, while How the Arab World Read Don Quixote, on September 16, traces its history in Arabic translation and criticism.
Other events consider how Cervantes’s characters moved into theatre, cinema and animation.
The Balkans, a region encompassing countries including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, have been designated Guest of Honour, with sessions examining the region’s literary and cultural history.
Arabic music will feature in performances and discussions. Modern Poems that Shaped Arabic Music, on September 14, focuses on poetry associated with Egyptian singers Umm Kulthum and Abdel Wahab and Lebanon’s Fairuz, three defining voices of 20th-century Arab music, and how literature informed some of the region’s best-known songs.
Another discussion, on September 16, examines the life and legacy of Abdel Halim Hafez, the Egyptian singer and actor whose romantic songs made him one of the Arab world’s most popular performers.
Cafe Riche: How a Cairo Landmark Where Arab Writers Made History, on September 16, revisits the downtown Cairo institution that became a gathering place for generations of writers, artists and intellectuals.
Earlier that day, at noon, ChatGPT: Authors’ Experiences considers how artificial intelligence is changing the way some writers think, plan and draft their work.
The fair will mark its anniversary on September 13 with Thirty-Five Years Forward: The Making of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, tracing three and a half decades of the event, and its growth as a regional and international publishing platform.
Algerian novelist Said Khatibi, who received this year’s International Prize for Arabic Fiction, will attend the fair on September 18 in From Recognition to Readership, delving deeper into his novel and its exploration of the Algerian civil war.
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award ceremony will bring another group of writers, researchers and cultural figures to the event as the prize turns 20.
This year’s recipients include Egyptian novelist Ashraf Elashmawy, who received the Literature award for Births in the Zoo, and Moroccan researcher Mustapha Rajouane, recipient of the Young Author category. They will feature in discussions about their literary and academic journeys.
Lebanese actress and author Zeinah Makki will appear on September 17 to discuss her Arabic book Black Hole, in On Writing Through Darkness, focusing on the personal reflection and emotional experiences behind the work.
More speakers and programme details are expected to be announced ahead of the opening in September.
Beyond its public programme, which is free to attend upon online registration, the book fair is a meeting point for the publishing industry, bringing together publishers, translators, rights buyers and other trade professionals to discuss industry trends and challenges facing the regional market.
Abu Dhabi International Book Fair runs from September 13 to 18 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre
