The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is one of the world’s leading international literary events, with the slogan “for the love of words.” This annual event in Dubai encourages books, reading, and the diversity of the written word in all of its forms. The festival will be spread across two weekends from Feb. 3 to 13, while the talks and sessions will take place at Al Habtoor City.
This is a festival that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) highly values since it promotes cultural awareness and understanding, as well as the ways in which literature enriches our lives. Attendees also have the opportunity to meet local and international authors, participate in literary debates and seminars, compete in contests, and be inspired by their literary heroes.
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has developed steadily since its establishment in 2009, and now entertains and educates tens of thousands of visitors across three venues for weekends jam-packed with activities and exhibitions. The generous Emirates Literature Foundation, which was created by Royal Decree in 2013, is one of the festival’s primary founders. It was honored for its contribution to developing a reading culture in the UAE as well as its large education outreach program. It has also won numerous honors, including three times for Best Festival in the Middle East.
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature also contributes to the strengthening of cultural connections and mutual understanding between the UAE and the United States through the arts and literature by bringing in world-renowned American and global authors who are always eager to meet their fans. Authors like Erin Entrada Kelly, Alka Joshi, Carlos Andrés Gómez, and Queena Bergen are at the top of this year’s list, and they will undoubtedly dazzle the audience! Also, Arab authors have a significant impact on the whole region with authors like the talented Ahmed Mourad, Ali Bin Tammim, and Amal AlSahlawi.
With that being said, the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature provides a platform for connecting the worlds of authors and showcasing how literature is vital to our intellectuality. We also have excellent Arab authors who will discuss their work and how their works have influenced the film industry. This is owing to the fact that many books have been adapted into films, and audiences are always fascinated by how authors and directors collaborate to create a masterpiece that will awe and exceed the audience’s expectations.