16th edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2024 will be open from February 1 to February 6 for the public

Wednesday marked the formal start of the 16th edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2024, which featured a gala evening to honour poets and writers from the United Arab Emirates, the Arab world, and beyond. The festival is available to the public starting on Thursday, February 1 and runs through February 6.

The festivities kicked off on Wednesday night with speeches by three writers before an audience: Saud Al Sanousi, Ben Okri, and Claudia Rankine. Ammar Ashkar, Hala Alyan, and Amal Al Sahlawi had performances after this. During the gala ceremonies, the 2024 First Chapter Seddiqi Fellows were also revealed.

With an emphasis on publishing narratives about the UAE from the viewpoint of Emiratis and foreigners, ELF Publishing, the publishing division of the Emirates Literature Foundation, is launching eight titles during the festival this year. The goal is to write down the oral histories of the area and record the tales of bygone eras.

With this overarching topic in mind, ELF Publishing published a collection of poems by Emirati Nabti poet Ousha Bint Khalifa Al Suwaidi titled "The Girl of the Arabs." Dr. Rafia Ghubash prepared it, and Dr. Nadia Khawandanah translated it into English.

Chip Rosetti's adult fiction book "Rose's Diary," which was first written by Reem Al Kamali and was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2022, was published by ELF Publishing in English.

In the children's book genre, Julia Johnson's "Aisha's Cake," a follow-up to "Aisha's Pearl," was published on Wednesday, the first night of the 16th Festival. Maitha Al Khayat did the illustrations for the book.

At the opening night, Timotius A. Gracious's picture book "A Dragon Called Blue," written by Ebtisam Al Beiti and aimed for children aged three and up, was also unveiled.

Dr. Sultan Saif Al Neyadi, the UAE's Minister of Youth, has published a book detailing his six-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS). The picture journal named "Out Of This World" was released by Ahlam Bolooki, Managing Director of ELF Publishing.

Events for the book launches are set for February 3–5, during the Emirates LitFest. The books will only be sold through the online and physical Magrudys bookshops in the United Arab Emirates.

Event Details:

Date: From February 1 to February 6 (open to the public)

Place: InterContinental Dubai Festival City

Buy tickets: https://litfesttickets.emirateslitfest.com/?locale=en

For more details: visit https://emirateslitfest.com/