18th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair set to be largest ever

Taking place from 11th to 16th March under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nayhan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, this year's ADIBF will pay host to a number of innovative events and activities designed to encourage visitor interaction with authors and the book publishing industry and help promote 'the wonder of words' throughout the UAE and beyond.

New initiatives on offer at this year's Fair include the 'The Textbox' and the 'Kitab Sofa'. The Textbox is a booth used for literary recital, where visitors can pick up headphones and listen to the performing authors. At the Kitab Sofa, best-selling authors such as Alaa al Aswany or Baha Taher will be openly interviewed in front of visitors, giving the audience a chance to listen to their favourite writers live.

His Excellency Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouie, Director General of ADACH, comments, 'The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair plays an important role in encouraging cross-regional cultural dialogue. As Abu Dhabi emerges as a shining light in the global cultural scene, the Fair is a tool that is turning the city into a hub for the Arab publishing industry, a development from which the entire region will benefit.

'Following the success of last year's Fair, we have had to increase the floor space by 25% to accommodate the 430 international exhibitors,' said Mr Jumaa al-Qubaisi, Director of ADIBF. 'This year we are also introducing a number of new initiatives that we hope will delight both our trade visitors and public, stimulating positive participation and promoting interaction amongst our diverse guests.'

For the first time, the opening day of ADIBF 2008 will be dedicated exclusively to trade visitors, providing exhibitors and the book publishing industry with a valuable opportunity to benefit from an extensive professional programme planned for this day.

With the launch of KALIMA, a new chapter in the cooperation between the Western and Arab World in culture and publishing has been opened. The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair has taken up this issue and drawn the attention of the international publishing community to this important and groundbreaking endeavour. On March 10, one day before the Fair opens its doors, an international publishers' conference 'Literature travels the World - The Challenges of Publishing Translations' will take place at ADACH to emphasize the importance of translations and translation-funding initiatives, with Publishers from the UK, Germany, France, Lebanon, Egypt and the UAE will present their views on this issue. The conference is set to mark the start of a series of activities around the theme of translations.

As an exciting new development, the first International Prize for Arabic Fiction will be announced on March 10th, the eve of the Fair's opening. This prestigious literary prize is managed in association with the world famous Booker Prize Foundation in London, and is supported by the Emirates Foundation.

The 2008 Fair will see a return of the popular Discussion Forum which was launched last year. Once again, the Forum will tackle cutting-edge topics such as tolerance and women's issues, as well as include a programme presented by the organisers of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, which will be awarded for the second year during the Fair, on March 12.

On the international scene, large collective stands from France and Germany will for the first time this year showcase publishers and titles from each respective country. Numerous Publishers from India and China are also scheduled to make their first ADIBF appearance.

In addition, organisers have largely increased the activities in the Children's Corner, which are all in line with KITAB's mission to promote reading across the region.

To celebrate this year's ADIBF, KITAB launched the 'BookCrossing' to Abu Dhabi. A week prior to the Fair, KITAB began distributing over 450 books free-of-charge to the public from a booth in Marina Mall. All those who have read the book can then track its journey on-line at www.bookcrossing.com, as it passes from person to person This initiative ends with the beginning of the Fair.