The 34th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair has had its public-facing opening this weekend (April 26) with its emphases on children and families, Arabic and reading’s importance, and a focus on ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ and guest-of-honor Caribbean culture. Image: ADIBK 2025
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
See also:
Murakami, Barakat in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Book Award
‘Digitizing Creativity’: Potential and Promise at Abu Dhabi
Hoda Barakat, Haruki Murakami Lead Zayed Award Winners
UAE: Abu Dhabi International Book Fair Touts Fast Stand Bookings
UAE: Sheikh Zayed Book Award Draws 4,000+ Entries for 19th Edition
UAE: Abu Dhabi International Book Fair Announces Its Dates Through 2030
‘Al Mubarak: ‘Inclusive, Knowledge-Driven Society’
Taking advantage of a long weekend here in the United Arab Emirates, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair has begun its public-facing run through May 5 with its theme of Knowledge Illuminates Our Community.
Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs—under the patronage of UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan—opened the fair on Saturday (April 26), and the 34th edition of this large, spacious fair is again led by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, under the direction of Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, chair of the center.
The Arabic Language Centre, as many of our readers know, is part of the emirate’s department of culture and tourism, and thus, having Caribbean culture as its guest of honor, carries a certain logic because one intention of these major bookselling-and-reading-cultivation events is a promotion of Emirati and Arabic cultures as well as a welcoming engagement with other international cultural traditions and commerce.
The fair’s organizers say that last year’s edition of the show saw 152,160 books sold by 1,350 exhibitors to 231,168 attendees.
This year’s festival’s organizers say there will be more than 2,000 events during the course of the fair’s run, and as many as 1,400 publishing houses from some 96 nations aboard. As many as 60 languages are represented, as is a group of 20 countries involved for the first time.
In terms of industry players, organizers say that this year’s show is to feature 87 government entities, 15 universities.
In a region of world publishing that has long been without a strong tradition and presence of literary agents, it’s reported that 25 agents are to be at the fair this year from 13 markets, as are 28 collective stands (cooperative stands that each feature a selection of participating publishers from a given country).
Bin Tamim: ‘Arabic Language Is a Vital Pillar’
In the concourses of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair in its 34th edition. Image: ADIBF
In the Arab world, as in several other regions, book fairs can represent major portions of booksellers’ and publishers’ chances to make sales. While efforts to improve distribution and consumerism, the place of a fair here can be critical for the livelihoods of many members of the book value chain, and the Abu Dhabi fair holds a place of respect and anticipation—after the leadership here of the annual and older Sharjah International Book Fair (November 5 to 16).
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak
These elements of influence and engagement are evident in comments made this weekend, for example, by the department of culture and tourism’s chair, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak.
“The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair,” Al Mubarak said, “reflects our shared belief that knowledge is the cornerstone of connection, progress, and understanding. With a rich tapestry of cultural events, this year’s edition reaffirms Abu Dhabi’s commitment to fostering an inclusive, knowledge-driven society.
“The theme Knowledge Illuminates Our Community, speaks not only to the power of books to inform and inspire, but also to their unique ability to bring people together—across cultures, languages, and generations. In the ‘year of community,’ we continue to champion the Arabic language, while also celebrating literature’s enduring role as a universal source of inspiration and a guiding light for our collective future.”
Dr. Ali Bin Tamim
Dr. Bin Tamim at the Arabic Language Center, said that the Abu Dhabi fair “highlights the level of attention given to the Arabic language; the book and publishing industry; and the creative industries; as part of efforts to serve the community by nurturing a strong connection between the community and the Arabic language as a vital pillar of its cultural identity. …
“This is showcased through the selection of the great scientist Ibn Sina as the Focus Personality, the most influential Arabic book in the imagination of mankind, One Thousand and One Nights as the ‘Book of the World,’ and the celebration of the unique culture of the Caribbean basin as guest of honor to emphasize the human dimension that Abu Dhabi seeks to achieve in all its cultural projects”
Digitizing Creativity: An Emphasis on AI and More
Perhaps one of the biggest changes in the programming this year is a move on the calendar for the Abu Dhabi International Congress of Arabic Publishing and Creative Industries—held for three years on the day before the 0pening of the fair and normally in an invitational format.
The “Congress PCI,” as it’s called, in its upcoming fourth year has been repositioned to September 14 and 15, and so its presentation doesn’t play as a kind of pre-event to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
For those who have enjoyed the first three years of Congress PCI production, there’s a campaign planned for the next iteration in the autumn, and Publishing Perspectives will of course have that information for you as it’s made available.
Meanwhile, on the “Community Stage” in Hall 10 at the National Exposition Center, ADNEC, something accessible to a broad range of fairgoers, the Digitizing Creativity Conference is being integrated into the day-to-day fair schedule with events at ADNEC at a rate of one or two daily.
The first of these events is at 1 p.m. Monday (April 28) with Dr. Bin Tamim and speakers including International Publishers Association‘s (IPA) president Gvantsa Jobava of Tbilisi; Mohamed Rashad of Cairo, longtime president of the Arab Publishers Association; Ameera Ali Bukadra, chair of the board at the Emirates Publishers Association; Dimiter Gantchev, deputy director specialized in copyright and creative industries with the World Intellectual Properties Association (WIPO); and Abdul Rahman Al Maeeni, assistant under-secretary with the ministry of the economy in intellectual property rights.
There are more sessions during the week, usually at a rate of one per day, on topics in this rolling “conference” that follows its own theme during the fair. We’ll of course have coverage of parts of this new element going forward.
An early-show shot from the 2025 edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, running through May 5. Image: ADIBF
More from Publishing Perspectives on the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center is here, more on Arabic literature is here, and more on the many publishing and cultural programs in the United Arab Emirates at large is here. You’ll find more on the upcoming Sharjah International Book Fair and its associated Sharjah Publishers Conference here.
Publishing Perspectives is the world media partner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and of the International Publishers Association.