Booklava founder Tarek Bolbol aims to bring the best of Arabic literature in the form of audio books Courtesy Booklava
Booklava founder Tarek Bolbol aims to bring the best of Arabic literature in the form of audio books Courtesy Booklava
Booklava founder Tarek Bolbol aims to bring the best of Arabic literature in the form of audio books Courtesy Booklava
Booklava founder Tarek Bolbol aims to bring the best of Arabic literature in the form of audio books Courtesy Booklava

Booklava: the audiobook platform bringing the best of Arab literature to the masses


Saeed Saeed
  • English
  • Arabic

How it works

Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com

Tarek El Bolbol is used to being the lone voice in a crowd.

The Lebanese-Canadian entrepreneur was at the world’s largest publishing industry gathering at the weekend, the Frankfurt Book Fair, to discuss the steady growth of his Dubai-based online audiobook platform Booklava, and the commercial potential of audiobooks in the region.

Speaking exclusively to The National after his address – part of the fair's in-house conference dedicated to audiobooks – Bolbol says he has mixed feelings.He is elated to have been invited to speak at such a prestigious event, but he also laments the lack of regional publishers taking part in the audiobook conference.

“Not one Arabic publisher was there, and we are talking about the next big thing in the publishing world. The sales of audiobooks are increasing around the world and we are not part of that conversation,” he says.

“But I am glad I was there to say that there is a growing appetite for audiobooks in the Arab world and we are servicing that.”

Audio versions of works by Khalil Jibran and Ibrahim Nasrallah

Since its online launch more than a year ago, and with a mobile app, Booklava has steadily progressed as a producer of a growing choice of Arabic audiobooks, both from regional authors and translations of international works.

Scan through the Booklava app, after signing in with your email address, Facebook or LinkedIn accounts, and you will find more than 200 Arabic audiobooks professionally produced by the company through its main recording studios in Lebanon. Titles are released regularly, some read by professional voice actors and others by the authors themselves.

Titles include classic works such of The Prophet and Broken Wings by Khalil Gibran, as well as a self-narrated poetry collection by Palestinian writer Ibrahim NasrallahThere are also a few audio translations of foreign works by esteemed sci-fi authors such as Isaac Asimov (Youth) and Stanley Weinbaum's A Martian Odyssey.

Expect more movement on the latter, Bolbol says, as Booklava recently reached agreements with a group of United States publishers, including the heavyweight HarperCollins, to distribute its English audiobooks on the platform. Abu Dhabi company, Haykal Media has also partnered with Booklava for audio editions of Arab versions of the Harvard Business Review, MIT Technology Review and Popular Science.

Wading into untested waters

It is these kinds of strides that are making Booklava such a trailblazing enterprise in the region, in addition to earning Bolbol plaudits in the UAE and abroad.

Booklava was involved in the Arab Conference at Harvard University last year, earmarked as one of 10 promising start-ups founded by Arab entrepreneurs. It was also shortlisted by the Arabian Business Start-up Awards, while Bolbol was selected as an Arab Youth Pioneer by the Prime Minister’s office of the UAE and the Arab Youth Centre.

But the progress came with its own challenges, the biggest of which was entering such an untested field. At present, there are a small number of online companies engaged in Arabic audiobook production and distribution, including the Dubai's Masmoou.com, launched by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (which was also present at the Frankfurt Book Fair) and Swedish companies Kitab Sawti and Storytel.

Bolbol wasn't motivated by financial reward. The small company at the In5 start-up incubator in Dubai Media City has fewer than 20 full-time and part-time employees and is earning a far cry from his comfortable salary as a globetrotting tech expert for a range of international companies. While he enjoyed the exciting lifestyle, Bolbol admits he was unsatisfied with the direction of his working life. "I think a lot of people go through this, where they get to a stage in life where they ask what their purpose is," he says.

“I remember when I first came to Dubai nearly four years ago. I started a business and that didn’t work out and I was asking myself that question. I realised that, ultimately, I wanted to spread knowledge and I can use technology for that.”

That insight was also laced with the angst of a frustrated reader. 

Ironically, it was all the time he spent flying to meetings that triggered his love for audiobooks. He recalls it being a better alternative to the entertainment provided by some of the major airlines.

"Look, not everyone is Etihad or Emirates," he says with a laugh. "I remembered my friend introducing me to the audiobooks of Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People about seven years ago, and they were so well produced I was totally engrossed by them on the flight. It made me realise that we can do this for an Arabic market."

Inspired by finding an idea that finally aligned with his personal mission, Bolbol spent the next few months studying the regional market. "That was an interesting experience. I spoke to a lot of Arabic publishers. They tell me that they are struggling with the printed version of books. Forget the lack of people reading in the region, but what these publishers face is this issue of borders and each country has its own of set of laws. Yes, we are one big region but in reality we are fragmented," he says. "So in that sense, the online world is a natural player. On top of that you also have 50 million Arabs living in a diaspora that we can easily reach through online."

While audiobook sales rose by 22.7 per cent last year, to an estimated US$2.5 billion (Dh9.18) in sales according to the Audio Publishers Association, Bolbol is optimistic that wave will eventually wash over the region.

Audio books are perfect for Arab lifestyles

He says the communal nature of Arab societies means that less time is being spent on reading, and audiobooks could help those pressed for time. “Our lifestyles are different and we place a lot of value in relationships,” he says. “When I was living in Lausanne in Switzerland, a lot more people were reading books because they actually had free time. My European colleagues told me how they envied the fact that we, as Arabs, can go outside and meet friends in the middle of the week because that concept was foreign to them. I then realised how we value that bonding time and how it was important to us to maintain ties and not feel lonely.

“That’s why it is hard to tell an Arab person, in my opinion, that you should replace two hours of your day from spending time with family or friends with reading. That’s an uphill struggle. But if you can give them that content while they are on the go, then they have no excuse.”

And judging by the steady sales of Arabic audiobooks, Bolbol’s hunch is becoming increasingly correct. “You know, I had a customer tell me that he listens to audiobooks while he has his shisha,” he says, with a laugh. “At least he is listening to a book, that’s what I am happy about.”

Another aspect that's extremely gratifying is the response to Booklava from the Arab diaspora. A large proportion of them are similar to Bolbol in that their Arabic reading skills are not as strong as their conversational skills. "This is something that I have encountered a lot from many people who live abroad," he says. "They find reading Arabic is not as enjoyable as listening to it.

“At least now they can also get access to all these great works from our culture and enjoy and be proud of it. That is ultimately one of my main personal and professional goals.”

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Read more:

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'The Sky is Everywhere'

Director:Josephine Decker

Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon

Rating:2/5

PREMIER LEAGUE STATS

Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League 
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals

2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25  

The Bio

Name: Lynn Davison

Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi

Children: She has one son, Casey, 28

Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite Author: CJ Sansom

Favourite holiday destination: Bali

Favourite food: A Sunday roast

RESULTS

 

Catchweight 63.5kg: Shakriyor Juraev (UZB) beat Bahez Khoshnaw (IRQ). Round 3 TKO (body kick)

Lightweight: Nart Abida (JOR) beat Moussa Salih (MAR). Round 1 by rear naked choke

Catchweight 79kg: Laid Zerhouni (ALG) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ). Round 1 TKO (punches)

Catchweight 58kg: Omar Al Hussaini (UAE) beat Mohamed Sahabdeen (SLA) Round 1 rear naked choke

Flyweight: Lina Fayyad (JOR) beat Sophia Haddouche (ALG) Round 2 TKO (ground and pound)

Catchweight 80kg: Badreddine Diani (MAR) beat Sofiane Aïssaoui (ALG) Round 2 TKO

Flyweight: Sabriye Sengul (TUR) beat Mona Ftouhi (TUN). Unanimous decision

Middleweight: Kher Khalifa Eshoushan (LIB) beat Essa Basem (JOR). Round 1 rear naked choke

Heavyweight: Mohamed Jumaa (SUD) beat Hassen Rahat (MAR). Round 1 TKO (ground and pound)

Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammad Ali Musalim (UAE beat Omar Emad (EGY). Round 1 triangle choke

Catchweight 62kg: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR). Round 2 KO

Catchweight 88kg: Mohamad Osseili (LEB) beat Samir Zaidi (COM). Unanimous decision

Ain Dubai in numbers

126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure

1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch

16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.

9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.

5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place

192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Profile

Company name: Marefa Digital

Based: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre

Number of employees: seven

Sector: e-learning

Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019

Investors: Friends and family 

Syria squad

Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog

Favourite colour: Brown

Favourite Movie: Resident Evil

Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices

Favourite food: Pizza

Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Top financial tips for graduates

Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:

1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.

2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.

3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.

4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.

The Bio

Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride

She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.

Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years

Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves

She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

The Greatest Royal Rumble card

50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev

Singles match John Cena v Triple H

Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”

Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre 

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”

Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
 

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Australia tour of Pakistan

March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi

March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi

March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi

April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi

April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Where to buy and try:

Nutritional yeast

DesertCart

Organic Foods & Café

Bulletproof coffee

Wild & The Moon

Amasake

Comptoir 102

DesertCart

Organic Foods & Café

Charcoal drinks and dishes

Various juice bars, including Comptoir 102

Bridgewater Tavern

3 Fils

Jackfruit

Supermarkets across the UAE

Abu Dhabi World Pro 2019 remaining schedule:

Wednesday April 24: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-6pm

Thursday April 25:  Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-5pm

Friday April 26: Finals, 3-6pm

Saturday April 27: Awards ceremony, 4pm and 8pm

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How it works

Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com