Emirates Litfest: A date with words

Book-lovers had a tryst with the spoken and written word at the Emirates Literature Festival that has taken up a new home at Habtoor City. A stellar line-up of authors and exciting events have been lined up for the largest literature event of its kind in the Middle East.

Day two of the festival, which runs until February 13, saw thousands descend on the event in the heart of the city. Khaleej Times photographer SHIHAB was there to capture all the buzz on an exciting day.

Celebrating creativity

The annual cultural extravaganza celebrates books, ideas, and creativity from authors in the region and across the globe. This year, the festival is playing host to more than 160 authors who are coming from more than 50 countries over the course of 10 days. The Middle East’s largest annual literary festival offers visitors the opportunity to meet famous authors, attend debates, listen to readings and participate in workshops.

Optimistic theme

This year’s theme: “Here comes the Sun” was decided to give the festival an optimistic theme after a challenging two years of Covid.

Supporting authors

There are a lot of initiatives around the festival that support writers that are starting out, whether it’s writing workshops, writers’ fellowships that have commenced and the LitFest writing prize.

Events galore

The 14th edition of the festival, which runs until February 13, will include talks, performances, special events, and panel discussions.

Back with a bang

The literature festival had a mix of virtual and in-person sessions amid the Covid-19 pandemic last year. But this year, international authors are back, and it’s a full programme with a diverse set of events.

UAE reads more

Conversations around books and reading in the UAE grew by 7 per cent compared to 3 per cent in the online space worldwide, revealed Bolooki in an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times.

Stellar line-up

The line-up of authors includes famous TV series Bridgerton writer Julia Quinn, Chernobyl 1986 author Serhii Plokhy and House of Gucci author Sara Gay Forden.

Going local

Local authors are looking at the festival as a platform to launch books and take part in initiatives that start their journey.

Bringing the festival closer

With an array of literary workshops, debates and sessions by renowned authors, the new venue of Habtoor City marks an exciting new era for the festival, says Ahlam Bolooki, Festival Director.

• Dubai