Bloomsbury partners with Arabic publisher Kalimat Group

Bloomsbury Publishing has partnered with Arabic publisher the Kalimat Group.

The Kalimat Group is comprised of Kalimat, an Arabic children's book publisher; Horouf, an initiative that offers a modern and integrated educational system in the Arabic language; and Rewayat, which specialises in chapter books targeting adults and young adults.

The partnership will see both publishing companies exchange the same number of books to be published in translation each year.

Kalimat Group will publish books from Bloomsbury’s list translated into Arabic and Bloomsbury will publish from Kalimat’s list in English translation, starting this year with 10 books from each publisher. The project will include books for children, young adult novels and fiction.

Richard Charkin, executive director of Bloomsbury, said: “There is a greater need than ever for the transfer of cultural and intellectual information between languages. This venture between Kalimat in Sharjah and Bloomsbury throughout the English speaking world is a way of bringing cultures together. We are excited and honoured to be developing this project together.”  

Bodour Al Qasimi, founder and c.e.o. of Kalimat Group, said “Our new partnership with Bloomsbury will be instrumental in spreading the UAE’s and the Arab world’s culture to as wide an audience of children and young adults as possible. We fully hope that this partnership will enable us to reach a greater number of readers and allow us to spread knowledge about our unique heritage to a new markets."

She added: "This agreement will also open up global culture to children in the Gulf region. By translating a range of Bloomsbury’s publications into Arabic, we will create a new channel for intercultural exchange and help young people in our region better appreciate and understand societies outside their own. With Bloomsbury having such a renowned name in the international publishing sphere, there could be no better partner for such an important undertaking.”