- List of authors includes winner and short-listed authors of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction
- Renowned authors are featured in exciting programme of events

KITAB, the joint venture company between the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and the Frankfurt Book Fair, and organiser of the upcoming 18th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), has confirmed the names of 25 international authors who will be participating in the Fair programme, highlighting ADIBF’s increasing prestige in the global book publishing world. Three of these participants will be UAE nationals.

The 25 authors lined up to participate in the Fair’s activities are: Wasseeni al-Araj (Algeria); Alaa al-Aswany (Egypt); Badriya al-Bishr (Saudi Arabia); Gamal al-Ghitani (Egypt); Leila al-Juhani (Saudi Arabia); Ibrahim al-Koni (Libya); Samar al-Murqin (Saudi Arabia); Mohammed al-Murr (UAE); Bas Boettcher (Germany); Geneviève Chauvel (France); Jabbour Douaihry (Lebanon); Elias Farkouh (Jordan); Mustafa Farouk (Egypt/USA); Dr Frauke Heard-Bey (Germany/UAE); Khaled Khalifa (Syria); Marianne Koch (Germany); Kareem Matouq (UAE); Said Makkaoui (Egypt); May Menassa (Lebanon); Michael Morgan Hamilton (USA); Hassouna Mosbahi (Tunisia); Khairy Shalaby (Egypt); Samuel Shimon (Iraq/UK); Baha Taher (Egypt) and Basima Younes (UAE).

KITAB has created an exciting cultural programme featuring new venues such as the Discussion Forum, the KITAB Sofa and The Textbox. Activities such as ’Reading and Book Signing’, ’Please have a seat!’, ’Talking Literature’ will feature select authors such as Mohammed al-Murr and Basima Younis, Alaa al-Aswany, Khairy Shalaby, to name a few. The winner and shortlisted authors of the ‘International Prize for Arabic Fiction’ (a prestigious literary prize managed in association with world famous Booker Prize Foundation in London, and supported by the Emirates Foundation), will also be incorporated in the programme so that visitors can have a chance to meet and greet all of these world famous authors.

ADIBF is held 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, and will take place from 11th to 16th March.

The Fair kicks off March 11 and runs till March 16th. The first day, March 11th, will be dedicated exclusively for trade visitors. ADIBF will be open daily from 10am – 9pm. The Fair is sponsored by Sorouh, and its official media partner is Abu Dhabi Media Company. Abu Dhabi TV will broadcast a daily live show live from the KITAB sofa.