Hala Khalaf
This year, more than 170 writers from 35 countries and more than 40,000 visitors were part of the ninth edition of the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature. Before the event wraps up for another year, try to catch a few key sessions from its closing weekend.
Bourne Ready: Chaos and Conspiracies with Eric Van Lustbader
Friday, 3pm
Chosen by Robert Ludlum to take over writing the Jason Bourne series following his own death, Eric Van Lustbader has excelled at writing fast-paced novels with intricate plots and nuanced characters. He now has a new series out, beginning with The Testament and the soon-to-be-released The Fallen. Listen to Van Lustbader discuss his work and his approach to writing.
Jamal’s Journey: A Little Camel Lost in the Desert
Friday, 3pm
This is a good one for the children: when renowned author and illustrator Michael Foreman was last in Dubai, he was so inspired by the city he wrote a book about a little boy and his camel Jamal. Available in both Arabic and English, this has become popular among children growing up in the UAE. Foreman will talk about Jamal and other animal characters in his works, including Cat and Dog, Friends, Fox Tale, Tufty, Cat on the Hill and Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish. A fun session for little ones.
I’ll Make a Man Out of You
Saturday, 10am
An online chef, a world traveller, a sports novelist and a bestselling author will discuss ways to express masculinity in writing. Bader Najeeb, Sarah Outen, Andy Miller and Robert Twigger will discuss whether or not the notion of “manliness” as being aggressive and crude is old-fashioned and should be forgotten.
The Future Agenda: The Next Ten Years’ Journey
Saturday, 3pm
Ensure you are well-versed in the topics of the times and find answers as to why societies are more unequal than ever, whether we are at risk from a digital takeover of the world, if robots will steal our jobs, and how China has become a leader in ecological civilisation. Tim Jones’s Future Agenda project – a non-profit initiative that brings together experts to address the biggest problems affecting us today – attempts to answer such questions. Jones will lead the discussion.
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