LBF launches Sharjah Market Focus programme and unveils fair highlights

The London Book Fair is partnering with the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and the British Council at this year’s event to launch a series of cultural events and seminars celebrating Emirati authors.

The Sharjah Market Focus writers and seminar programme will feature Omar Ghobash, Abdulaziz Almusallam, Mohammad Al-Murr, Khalid Albudoor and Dubai Abulhoul among others. 

Previously announced Emirati poet Afra Atiq will be Market Focus Author of the Day, appearing in conversation with Joelle Taylor at the PEN Literary Salon on 6th April. Ahmed Al Ameri, chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, will be in conversation with David Taylor, m.d. of Lightning Source UK, on the LBF main stage the same day, discussing the future of book supply.

Sharjah’s Market Focus pavilion will be coordinated by the SBA and will showcase cultural initiatives including projects by Al Qasimi Publications, the Department of Culture in Sharjah, UAE Board on Books for Young People, Kalimat Group and Dr Sultan Al-Qasimi Centre of Gulf Studies. 

The pavilion will also highlight SBA’s flagship initiative, Sharjah Publishing City, which is the world’s first publishing and printing freezone. An opening ceremony to inaugurate the pavilion will take place at 2pm on 5th April.

“We are very pleased to be able to welcome Sharjah as Market Focus at the London Book Fair after the pandemic forced us to postpone for two years," said Andy Ventris, director of London Book Fair. "One of the most important aspects of the fair is its role as a global forum for the exchange of cultural ideas and literature and we are delighted to shine a spotlight on all that Sharjah publishing and Emirati literature has to offer. We’d like to extend a warm welcome to the Sharjah Book Authority and all the Emirati authors who will be coming to London to discuss their work, and to those publishers who will be coming to do business and forge new relationships with their international counterparts.”

Elsewhere on the bill, Booker Prize-winning novelist and poet Ben Okri and Penguin Michael Joseph m.d. Louise Moore have been announced as keynote speakers at LBF. 

Okri, author of The Famished Road (Vintage), will appear in conversation with journalist Sarah Shaffi, discussing the role of art during challenging and divisive times. The conversation will take place on 6th April on the main stage. Moore will discuss the importance of commercial fiction for the book industry and explore why it does not receive the same respect as other genres on the main stage on 5th April. 

They join previously announced speakers, including Maggie O’Farrell, while elsewhere Emma Bradshaw, head of campaigns at the Booksellers Association, joins Bookbar founder Chrissy Ryan and author Ingrid Persaud to discuss how bookshops can celebrate and amplify titles.

Working-class writers Eva Verde, Natasha Carthew and Mahsuda Snaith discuss why it is important to include conversations around class when it comes to improving diversity and representation in publishing.

A session on TikTok and book sales, featuring Naomi Bacon from Tandem Collective, author Fiona Lucas, Zaahida Nabagereka, head of social impact at Penguin Random House UK, and Ashley Baugh, associate director at Midas, will also be held on the Tuesday.

In a session led by the Publishers Association, representatives from the British Council, International Publishers Association and Cambridge University Press consider the role of publishers and wider cultural institutions during global conflict and debate how culture can play a role during difficult times around the world.

Representatives from Nosy Crow, HarperCollins, Bookouture, Amazon Publishing and the BA explore the impact of the pandemic on the publishing industry and discuss how it may shape the future of the book world.

"We are delighted to share highlights from this year’s agenda-setting seminar programme, and to announce 2022 keynote speakers," Ventris said. "Ben Okri is one of the most celebrated poets and authors of our time, while Louise Moore is at the very forefront of British publishing, and we are honoured to have them both at this year’s fair. We know that attendees will be eager to hear their thoughts on publishing, the impact of books in our society, and how the industry may evolve in future."