SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than 1.5 million titles and 1,650 publishing houses from 60 countries will be taking part at the 36th edition of Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which takes place from November 1-11. Held in Sharjah - the third largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - the theme of this year’s 11-day celebration of literature, knowledge and culture is: ‘A World inside My Book.’
Being organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, this year’s edition of the world’s third largest book fair will spread across 14,625 square metres and feature 393 guests from 48 countries who will take part in more than 2,600 events. An ever-expanding event, South Korea, Bangladesh and Denmark will be participating at the fair for the first time.
SIBF 2017’s calendar of events spans across several programmes, including the Cultural Programme, the Cultural Café, the Intellectual Programme and the Cookery Corner. The most extensive of the programmes on offer at this year’s edition is the Kids’ Programme, which will see 1,632 activities presented by 44 guests from 20 countries. SIBF will also host the Social Media Station, which will have 33 activities and workshops involving a galaxy of social media influencers who will be addressing topical cultural, media and social issues.
The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has also announced that the United Kingdom (UK) will be the ‘Country of Honour’, as part of ‘UK/UAE 2017,’ a year of bilateral cultural exchange between the two countries organised by the British Council.
For the first time ever, SIBF is allocating a special pavilion titled ‘The Future Zone’ that will bring together 10 leading companies specialised in digital books to showcase their experiences and latest publications.
A centerpiece of SIBF 2017 is the fourth edition of the SIBF/ALA Conference. Organised annually by SBA in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA), the event is the only ALA Conference to be held outside the United States.
