2018 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (The Festival) is an international

literature festival A literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writers and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings ...

held annually in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. The festival is held under the patronage of

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, links=no; ; born 15 July 1949) is the vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as the ruler of Dubai. H ...

, under the auspices of the Emirates Literature Foundation and is run by Ahlam Bolooki. The festival's offices are located within the

Dubai International Writers' Centre The Dubai International Writers' Centre (DIWC) is located in the Shindagha, Al Shindagha Historical Neighbourhood. Launched on 3 November 2014, it is part of the Emirates Literature Foundation, established in 2013 through a decree by the Prime Min ...

. The festival is held each February in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

. It features more than 250 sessions and unique events including workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions and poetry readings. The programme has events for adults and children in Arabic, English, French as well as other languages. An estimated 44,000+ visitors attend the festival each year. Along with daily sessions, the Festival conducts a "Fringe" for children to encourage local talent. Students also get the opportunity to meet international authors during the "Education Days". The Festival is held at the Habtoor Palace, in Dubai, in partnership with

Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country * Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir ** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf ** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates * The Emirat ...

Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the Emirates' authority for culture, arts, and heritage.

History

2009

In 2009, the Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature was launched with 65 international authors, including

Chimamanda Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ( ; born 15 September 1977) is a Nigerian writer whose works include novels, short stories and nonfiction. She was described in ''The Times Literary Supplement'' as "the most prominent" of a "procession of criticall ...

Simon Armitage Simon Robert Armitage (born 26 May 1963) is an English poet, playwright, musician and novelist. He was appointed Poet Laureate on 10 May 2019. He is professor of poetry at the University of Leeds. He has published over 20 collections of poetr ...

Jung Chang Jung Chang (, , born 25 March 1952) is a Chinese-British writer now living in London, best known for her family autobiography ''Wild Swans'', selling over 10 million copies worldwide but banned in the People's Republic of China. Her 832-page ...

Imtiaz Dharker Imtiaz Dharker (born 31 January 1954) is a Pakistan-born British full time poet, artist, and video film maker. She won the Queen's Gold Medal for her English poetry and was appointed Chancellor of Newcastle University from January 2020. In 201 ...

Carol Ann Duffy Dame Carol Ann Duffy (born 23 December 1955) is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is a professor of contemporary poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Poet Laureate in May 2009, resigning in 2019. She was the first ...

, Sir

Ranulph Fiennes Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet (born 7 March 1944), commonly known as Sir Ranulph Fiennes () and sometimes as Ran Fiennes, is a British explorer, writer and poet, who holds several endurance records. Fiennes served in the ...

Nujoom Al-Ghanem Nujoom Alghanem (born 24 October 1962) is an Emirati poet, artist and film director. She has published eight poetry collections and has directed more than twenty films. Alghanem is active in her community and is considered a well established writ ...

Philippa Gregory Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Roman ...

Victoria Hislop Victoria Hislop (née Hamson; born 1959) is an English author. Early life Born in Bromley, Kent, she was raised in Tonbridge and attended Tonbridge Grammar School. She studied English at St Hilda's College, Oxford, and worked in publishing and ...

Ibrahim Kuni Ibrāhīm al-Kōnī (sometimes translated as Ibrāhīm Kūnī) ( ar, ابراهيم الكوني) is a Libyan writer and is considered to be one of the most prolific Arab novelists. Biography Born in 1948 in the Fezzan Region, Ghadamis City, ...

Frank McCourt Francis McCourt (August 19, 1930July 19, 2009) was an Irish-American teacher and writer. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his book ''Angela's Ashes'', a tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood. Early life and education Frank McC ...

(his final appearance before his death),

Mark Tully Sir William Mark Tully, KBE (born 24 October 1935) is the former Bureau Chief of BBC, New Delhi, a position he held for 20 years. He worked with the BBC for a total of 30 years before resigning in July 1994. The recipient of several awards, Tul ...

, among others. The theme of the festival was "''There are places only books can take you''".

2010

In 2010, the Festival was renamed the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and its theme was "''Debate, Inspire, Enjoy''" welcomed over 80 authors, including

Leila Aboulela Leila Fuad Aboulela (Arabic:ليلى فؤاد ابوالعلا; born 1964) is a fiction writer, essayist, and playwright of Sudanese origin based in Aberdeen, Scotland. She grew up in Khartoum, Sudan, and moved to Scotland in 1990 where she began ...

Martin Amis Martin Louis Amis (born 25 August 1949) is a British novelist, essayist, memoirist, and screenwriter. He is best known for his novels ''Money'' (1984) and ''London Fields'' (1989). He received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his memoir '' ...

Tim Butcher Tim Butcher (born 15 November 1967) is an English author, broadcaster and journalist. He is the author of ''Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart, Blood River'' (2007), ''Chasing the Devil'' (2010) and ''The Trigger'' (2014), travel bo ...

Polly Dunbar Polly Dunbar (born 1977) is an English author-illustrator. She is best known for her self-illustrated books ''Penguin'', the ''Tilly and Friends'' series (which became a BBC children's television series) and ''Hello, Mum'' – an illustrated mem ...

, Maha Gargash,

Abdo Khal Abdo Khal (born 3, August 1962, Al-Mijannah, Jizan, Saudi Arabia) is an Arab writer and winner of the 2010 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. Biography He left his home village at a young age and currently lives in Jeddah. Before becomin ...

Yann Martel Yann Martel, (born 25 June 1963) is a Canadian author who wrote the Man Booker Prize–winning novel ''Life of Pi'', an international bestseller published in more than 50 territories. It has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and spent ...

Alexander McCall Smith Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE (born 24 August 1948), is a British writer. He was raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and formerly Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an expert on medical law and ...

, Mariam Al Saedi,

Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi (; fa, مرجان ساتراپی ; born 22 November 1969) is a French-Iranian graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. Her best-known works include the graphic novel ''Persepolis'' a ...

Qais Sedki Qais Sedki ( ar, قيس صدقي) is an Emirati children's author. The first volume of his Arabic comic ''Gold Ring'' won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for Children's Literature in the year 2010. Sedki left his IT job to pursue a career in comic ...

Vikas Swarup Vikas Swarup (born 22 June 1961) is a retired Indian diplomat and writer. He retired from the Indian Foreign Service as the Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs, India on 30 June 2021 and has previously served as High Commissione ...

, Dame

Jacqueline Wilson Dame Jacqueline Wilson (née Aitken; born 17 December 1945) is an English novelist known for her popular children's literature. Her novels have been notable for featuring realistic topics such as adoption and divorce without alienating her lar ...

, and many more.

2011

In 2011, the festival was themed "Face to Face" and about 120 authors were invited for the third Festival with a larger Arabic focus this time. Some of the attending authors were

Mohammed Achaari Mohammed Achaari ( ar, محمد الأشعري; born 1951) is a Moroccan writer and politician. Early life He was born in Moulay Idriss, Moulay Driss Zerhoun. He studied law at the Mohammed V University and graduated in 1976. He published a col ...

Kate Adie Kathryn Adie (born 19 September 1945) is an English journalist. She was Chief News Correspondent for BBC News between 1989 and 2003, during which time she reported from war zones around the world. She retired from the BBC in early 2003 and w ...

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...

, Aminatta Forna,

Joumana Haddad Joumana Haddad ( ar, جمانة حداد) ( Salloum; born December 6, 1970 in Beirut) is a Lebanese author, public speaker, journalist and human rights activist. She has been selected as one of the world’s 100 most powerful Arab women by Arabi ...

Madhur Jaffrey Madhur Jaffrey CBE (née Bahadur; born 13 August 1933) is an Indian-British-American actress, food and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the western hemisphere with her debut cookbook, ...

, Yang Lian,

Michael Morpurgo Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo (''né'' Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as ''War Horse'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytellin ...

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin w ...

Lionel Shriver Lionel Shriver (born Margaret Ann Shriver; May 18, 1957) is an American author and journalist who lives in the United Kingdom. Her novel '' We Need to Talk About Kevin'' won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2005. Early life and education Shriver ...

Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...

, the Nobel Prize for Literature winner, and many more.

2012

In 2012, The Festival offered a more diversified program, that focused on "''Identity''", by inviting authors, poets, celebrity chefs and publishers, such as

John Agard John Agard FRSL (born 21 June 1949 in British Guiana) is an Afro-Guyanese playwright, poet and children's writer, now living in Britain. In 2012, he was selected for the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.

David Almond David Almond (born 15 May 1951) is a British author who has written many novels for children and young adults from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim. He is one of thirty children's writers, and one of three from the UK, to win the bienn ...

Chetan Bhagat Chetan Bhagat (born 22 April 1974) is an Indian author, columnist and YouTuber. He was included in Time (magazine), Time magazine's list of Time 100, World's 100 Most Influential People in 2010. Five of his novels have been adapted into films ...

, Luigi Bonomi,

Tim Bowler Tim Bowler (born 14 November 1953) is an author of books for teenagers and young adults. He won the 1997 Carnegie Medal from the CILIP, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject, for the novel '' River Boy''. ''The Sund ...

Bobby Chinn Robert Chinn is a New Zealand-born American international chef, television presenter, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is a culinary celebrity across Asia and the Middle East, thanks to his role as host of Discovery TLC's ''World Cafe'', ...

Ranjit Hoskote Ranjit Hoskote (born 1969) is an Indian poet, art critic, cultural theorist and independent curator. He has been honoured by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, with the Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award and the Sahitya ...

Daljit Nagra Daljit Nagra (born 1966) is a British poet whose debut collection, ''Look We Have Coming to Dover!'' – a title alluding to W. H. Auden's ''Look, Stranger!'', D. H. Lawrence's ''Look! We Have Come Through!'' and by epigraph also to Matthew Arn ...

, David Nicholls,

Alastair Reynolds Alastair Preston Reynolds (born 13 March 1966) is a Welsh science fiction author. He specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. He spent his early years in Cornwall, moved back to Wales before going to Newcastle University, where he s ...

Darren Shan Darren O'Shaughnessy (; born 2 July 1972), is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series ''The Saga of Darren Shan'', ''The Demonata'', and ''Zom-B'', published under the pseudonym Darren Shan. The former w ...

, Sir

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...

, and many more.

2013

"Heroes and Villains" was the Festival's theme for 2013. Five special evening activities are planned to celebrate the festival's fifth anniversary. They included a grand opening ceremony, Desert Stanzas, a night of poetry in the desert, the Murder Mystery Dinner, where international authors aided guests to solve a ‘murder,’ The Lighter Side, making the best of the line-up of star writers, who also have a gift for comedy authors showed off their comedic skills and a closing event. Among the attendees were

Jeffrey Archer Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English novelist, life peer, convicted criminal, and former politician. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–1974), but did not ...

Ken Hom Ken Hom (, born May 3, 1949) is a Chinese-American chef, author and television-show presenter for the BBC, specialising in Asian Cuisine. Having already appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2009 for "service ...

, Anupam Kher,

Nik Gowing Nik Keith Gowing (born 1951) is a British television journalist. Overview Nik Gowing was educated at the Simon Langton Grammar School in Canterbury and Latymer Upper School in London, followed by the University of Bristol. A foreign affairs ...

Anthony Horowitz Anthony John Horowitz, (born 5 April 1955) is an English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His works for children and young adult readers include ''The Diamond Brothers'' series, the ''Alex Rider'' series, and ''T ...

Shobhaa De Shobha De (''née'' Rajadhyaksha, formerly Kilachand; born 7 January 1948) is an Indian novelist and columnist. She is best known for her depiction of socialites and sex in her works of fiction, for which she has been referred to as the "Jackie ...

Jeffery Deaver Jeffery Deaver (born May 6, 1950) is an American mystery and crime writer. He has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a J.D. degree from Fordham University and originally started working as a journalist. He later ...

Lynda La Plante Lynda La Plante, CBE (born Lynda Titchmarsh; 15 March 1943) is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the ''Prime Suspect'' television crime series. Early life Lynda La Plante was born Lynda Titchmarsh on ...

Ian Rankin Sir Ian James Rankin (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels. Early life Rankin was born in Cardenden, Fife. His father, James, owned a grocery shop, and his mother, Isobel, worked in a schoo ...

Dan Rather Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. (; born October 31, 1931) is an American journalist, commentator, and former national evening news anchor. Rather began his career in Texas, becoming a national name after his reporting saved thousands of lives during Hurr ...

, and Tan Twan Eng. The Festival also welcomed Royal guests, such as

, who attended Desert Stanzas, Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi.

2014

In 2014 the festival was themed "''Metamorphosis''", there were about 169 attending authors in the sixth Festival, which was also the Festival’s most significant. The Festival continued with the previous year’s format, replacing The Lighter Side with Friday Rhythms, an evening of poetry and music with an innovative rock/poetry fusion performance by LiTTLe MaCHiNe. In addition, the Festival introduced new sessions, Literary Idol, a cross between ''Dragons’ Den'' and ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...

'', and Big Ideas, where authors went up on stage to speak on a topic of their choice along with the Festival Prologue, a series of three-day workshops held on the weekend before the Festival. Among the author attendees were

Saud AlSanousi Saud Alsanousi ( ar, سعود السنعوسي, born 27 May 1981) is a Kuwaiti novelist and journalist. His debut novel ''The Prisoner of Mirrors'' (2010) won the Leila Othman Prize. In 2011, his short story ''The Bonsai and the Old Man'' won a c ...

Paddy Ashdown Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, (27 February 194122 December 2018), better known as Paddy Ashdown, was a British politician and diplomat who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. Internati ...

, Pam Ayres,

Henry Blofeld Henry Calthorpe Blofeld, Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 23 September 1939) nicknamed Blowers by Brian Johnston, is an English retired sports journalist, Sports presenter, broadcaster and amateur ornithologist best known as a cricket com ...

Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer (; born 14 May 1965) is an Irish author of children's books. He worked as a primary school teacher before he became a full-time writer. He is best known for being the author of the Artemis Fowl (series), ''Artemis Fowl'' series. I ...

Nicholas Evans Nicholas Benbow Evans (26 July 1950 – 9 August 2022) was a British journalist, screenwriter, television and film producer and novelist. Biography Nicholas Benbow Evans was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, son of Anthony Evans, director of ...

Richard and Judy Richard and Judy is the name informally given to Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, a British married couple who are both television presenters and columnists. They presented the daytime television programme '' This Morning'' from 1988 until 2 ...

Vivian French Vivian June Isoult French (born 1945) is a British writer of picture book texts, novels, plays, and non-fiction for children and young adults. She has written more than 250 books – including the picture book ''Oliver's Vegetables'' (1995), The ...

Sally Gardner Sally Gardner is a British children writer and illustrator. She won both the Costa Children's Book Award and the Carnegie Medal for ''Maggot Moon'' (Hot Key Books, 2012). Under her pseudonym Wray Delaney she has also written adult novels.

Joanne Harris Joanne Michèle Sylvie Harris (born 3 July 1964) is an English-French author, best known for her novel '' Chocolat'' (1999), which was adapted the following year for the film '' Chocolat''. Early life Harris was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, t ...

, Christina Lamb,

Andrew Motion Sir Andrew Motion (born 26 October 1952) is an English poet, novelist, and biographer, who was Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009. During the period of his laureateship, Motion founded the Poetry Archive, an online resource of poems and audio reco ...

Jeremy Paxman Jeremy Dickson Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is an English broadcaster, journalist, author, and television presenter. Born in Leeds, Paxman was educated at Malvern College and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he edited the undergraduate ne ...

, Sir

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

, Ahdaf Soueif, and many more.

2015

In 2015, over 130 authors were attending the seventh festival, that was themed "''Wonderland''". The event featured best-selling authors worldwide, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Charley Boorman, Julia Donaldson, Nawal El-Saadawi, Sophie Hannah, Alexander McCall Smith, David Mitchell, Michael Morpurgo, HE Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, David Walliams, and

Markus Zusak Markus Zusak (born 23 June 1975) is an Australian writer with Austrian and German roots. He is best known for ''The Book Thief'' and '' The Messenger'' (US title: ''I Am the Messenger''), two novels which became international bestsellers. ...

. The festival also presented the first-ever UAE appearance of the life-size ''War Horse'' puppets, Joey and Topthorn, at the War Horse Concert, and the performance of 'Knight of Peace' by

Jason Kouchak Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

to critical acclaim. Throughout the year, the festival had conducted a survey for the favorite Arabic and English books of the UAE. The results were announced during the festival to be Parapsychology by Ali Al-Wardi, as the top Arabic book and

Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926February 19, 2016) was an American novelist best known for her 1960 novel ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. It won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. Lee has received numero ...

's ''

To Kill A Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

'' as the top English book.

2016

In 2016, more than 150 authors were attending the eighth festival, which was held for over two weeks for the first time due to the high demand from authors worldwide to participate in the festival. it was themed "''Time''". Authors in attendance included

Saud Alsanousi Saud Alsanousi ( ar, سعود السنعوسي, born 27 May 1981) is a Kuwaiti novelist and journalist. His debut novel ''The Prisoner of Mirrors'' (2010) won the Leila Othman Prize. In 2011, his short story ''The Bonsai and the Old Man'' won a c ...

Lauren Child Lauren Margot Peachy Child (born Helen Child; 29 November 1965) is an English children's author and illustrator. She is best known for the Charlie and Lola picture book series and other book series. Her influences include E. H. Shepard, Quen ...

Ann Cleeves Ann Cleeves (born 1954) is a British mystery crime writer. She wrote the Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez, and Matthew Venn series, all three of which have been adapted into TV shows. In 2006 she won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for her novel ''Rav ...

Lisa Faulkner Lisa Tamsin Faulkner (born 19 February 1972) is an actress, presenter and celebrity chef. Early life Faulkner was born in Merton, London, to David Faulkner and Julie (née Day). She lived in Esher and was educated at Tiffin Girls' School in ...

, Farah Chamma, Maha Gargash, A. C. Grayling,

Dom Joly Dominic John Romulus Joly (; born 15 November 1967) is an English comedian and writer. He is best known as the star of ''Trigger Happy TV'' (2000–2003), a hidden camera prank show that was broadcast in over 70 countries worldwide. Early life ...

, Robert Lindsay,

Anchee Min Anchee Min (; born January 14, 1957, in Shanghai, China) is a Chinese-American author who lives in San Francisco and Shanghai. Min has published two memoirs, '' Red Azalea'' and ''The Cooked Seed: A Memoir'', and six historical novels. Her fict ...

John Julius Norwich John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich, (15 September 1929 – 1 June 2018), known as John Julius Norwich, was an English popular historian, travel writer, and television personality. Background Norwich was born at the Alfred House Nursing ...

John Torode John Douglas Torode (born 23 July 1965) is an Australian-British celebrity chef and TV presenter. He moved to the UK in the 1990s and began working at Conran Group's restaurants. After first appearing on television on ITV's ''This Morning' ...

Marcia Williams Marcia Matilda Falkender, Baroness Falkender, CBE (''née'' Field, known professionally as Marcia Williams; 10 March 1932 – 6 February 2019) was a British Labour politician, known first as the private secretary for, and then the political s ...

, among a host of others from over 30 countries.

2017

"''Journeys''" was the theme for the festival's ninth year in 2017, over 180 authors attended the festival, which was held over nine days, including two packed weekends. Notable authors included

Jon Ronson Jon Ronson (born 10 May 1967) is a British-American journalist, author, and filmmaker whose works include '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'' (2001), ''The Men Who Stare at Goats'' (2004), and ''The Psychopath Test'' (2011). He has been desc ...

, Christina Lamb,

Kathy Reichs Kathleen Joan Reichs (née Toelle, born 1950) is an American crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic. She is an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Early life and education Kathleen J ...

Francesca Simon Francesca Isabella Simon (born 23 February, 1955) is an American-born British author who resides in North London. She is most famous for writing the ''Horrid Henry'' series of Children's literature, children's books. She is the daughter of scre ...

Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh HonFSE (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster, TV presenter, poet, and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a gardening journalist, he established himself as a media personality through a ...

Ben Miller Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English actor, comedian, and author. He rose to fame as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller. Miller is also known for playing the lead role of DI Richard Poole in the first two serie ...

, Kanishk Tharoor, Abdullah Al-Jumah,

Nadiya Hussain Nadiya Jamir Hussain (''née'' Begum; born 25 December 1984) is a British television chef, author and television presenter. She rose to fame after winning the The Great British Bake Off (series 6), sixth series (Season 3 on PBS, or Collection ...

, Andrew Davies,

Lucy Hawking Catherine Lucy Hawking (born 2 November 1970) is an English journalist, novelist, educator, and philanthropist. She is the daughter of the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and writer Jane Wilde Hawking. She lives in London, and is a chil ...

, Bothayna Wail Al Essa,

Yasmina Khadra Mohammed Moulessehoul ( ar, محمد مولسهول; born January 10, 1955), better known by the pen name Yasmina Khadra ( ar, ياسمينة خضراء), is an Algerian author living in France, who writes in French. One of the most famous Algeri ...

, Frank Gardner,

Jo Malone Joanne Lesley Malone CBE (born 5 November 1963) is a British perfumer and founder of the companies Jo Malone London and Jo Loves. Malone founded Jo Malone London in 1990 and later sold the company in 1999 to its current parent company Estee ...

Eric Van Lustbader Eric Van Lustbader (born December 24, 1946) is an American author of thriller and fantasy novels. He has published as Eric Lustbader, Eric V. Lustbader, and Eric Van Lustbader. He is a graduate of New York's Stuyvesant High School and Columbia ...

Sana Amanat Sana Amanat is an American comic book editor and an executive of production and development at Marvel Studios, having formerly been the Director of Content and Character Development at Marvel Comics.

, John Hemingway,

Omar Saif Ghobash Omar Saif Ghobash ( ar, عمر سيف غباش; born 4 June 1971) is the Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy in the United Arab Emirates, UAE and an author. He was appointed ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to France on 24 ...

Nigel Cumberland Nigel Cumberland is a British author, leadership coach and mentor, and a founder of The Silk Road Partnership. He is the author of nine self-development and leadership books, (note some are dups/combinations/re-issues) some of which have been se ...

, Farah Chamma, among many others. in addition to that, more than 30 countries were represented at the 2017 Festival, and of the 180+ authors, 40 were Emirati. The 2017 Festival had a strong focus on happiness and positivity, with several sessions discussing the ways to achieve happiness. A special panel discussion was also held at the festival featuring Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness, discussing

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم, links=no; ; born 15 July 1949) is the vice president, prime minister, and minister of defence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as the ruler of Dubai. H ...

's latest book, ''Reflections on Happiness and Positivity''.

2018

In 2018, The 10th festival featured over 180 authors from nearly 50 countries and focused on the theme "''Memories''". Highlight authors included

David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little B ...

Kevin Kwan Kevin Kwan (born ) is a Singapore-born American novelist and writer of satirical novels ''Crazy Rich Asians'', ''China Rich Girlfriend'', and '' Rich People Problems''. His latest book, '' Sex and Vanity'', was released in June 2020. In 2014, ...

Cheryl Strayed Cheryl Strayed (; née Nyland; born September 17, 1968) is an American writer and podcast host. She has written four books: the novel ''Torch'' (2006) and the nonfiction books '' Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail'' (2012), ''Tin ...

Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor (; ; born 9 March 1956 in London, England ) is an Indian former international civil servant, diplomat, bureaucrat and politician, writer and public intellectual who has been serving as Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, ...

Saroo Brierley Saroo Brierley (born ) is an Indian-born Australian businessman and author who, at the age of five, was accidentally separated from his biological family. He was adopted out of India by an Australian couple but was reunited with his biological ...

, Mahur Jaffrey,

Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance ...

Mohammed Hasan Alwan Mohammed Hasan Alwan (born 27 August 1979) is a Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian novelist. He was born in Riyadh and studied Computer Information Systems at King Saud University, obtaining a bachelor's degree in 2002. He also obtained an MBA from the U ...

, and

Rhianna Pratchett Rhianna Pratchett (born 30 December 1976) is an English video game writer and journalist. She has worked on '' Heavenly Sword'' (2007), ''Overlord'' (2007), '' Mirror's Edge'' (2008) and ''Tomb Raider'' (2013) and its follow up, '' Rise of the ...

. For the first time, the festival hosted a poetry evening at the Dubai Opera. ''For the Love of Words'', presented by the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, Dubai Opera, the Ministry of Tolerance, and the British Council, gathered the best of the UK and UAE’s contemporary poets under one roof. Khalid Al Budoor, Nujoom Nasser Al Ghanem, Afra Atiq,

, Imitiaz Dharkerre, Hussain Lootah,

Roger McGough Roger Joseph McGough (; born 9 November 1937) is an English poet, performance poet, broadcaster, children's author and playwright. He presents the BBC Radio 4 programme ''Poetry Please'', as well as performing his own poetry. McGough was one o ...

Grace Nichols Grace Nichols FRSL (born 1950) is a Guyanese poet who moved to Britain in 1977, before which she worked as a teacher and journalist in Guyana. Her first collection, ''I is a Long-Memoried Woman'' (1983), won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. In D ...

Lemn Sissay Lemn Sissay FRSL (born 21 May 1967) is a British author and broadcaster. Sissay was the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics, has been chancellor of the University of Manchester since 2015, and joined the Foundling Museum's board of trus ...

, and Harry Baker enchanted a packed theatre of poetry performance enthusiasts. The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has also commemorated its 10th anniversary with the publication of a limited-edition book, which launched at the opening ceremony of the festival. ''For the Love of Words'' features eighty-four inspirational voices that have been a part of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature over the years. The anthology is a collection of articles, poems, short stories, and illustrations that celebrate the love of words.

2019

In 2019, More than 180 authors gathered at the 11th Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. Highlight authors included

Jeff Kinney Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website ''Poptropica''. Early life Jeff Kinney was born ...

Nathan H. Lents Nathan H. Lents is an American scientist, author, and university professor. He has been on the faculty of John Jay College since 2006 and is currently the director of the Cell and Molecular Biology program and the former head of the honors progra ...

Chris Gardner Christopher Paul Gardner (born February 9, 1954) is an American businessman and motivational speaker. During the early 1980s, Gardner struggled with homelessness while raising a toddler son. He became a stockbroker and eventually founded his ow ...

, Ahmad AlShugairi, Dame Darcey Bussell,

Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and TV presenter. He first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s, before joining the BBC, on the BBC L ...

, Sally Helgesen,

Jane Hawking Jane Beryl Wilde Hawking Jones (born 29 March 1944) is an English author and teacher. She was married to Stephen Hawking for 30 years. Early life and education Jane was born to George and Beryl Wilde (). She grew up in St Albans, Hertfordshire ...

Cassandra Clare Judith Lewis (née Rumelt; born July 27, 1973), better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, is an American author of young adult fiction, best known for her bestselling series The Mortal Instruments (series), ''The Mortal Instruments''.'' Per ...

Holly Black Holly Black (''née'' Riggenbach; born November 10, 1971) is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the ''New York Times'' bestselling young adult ''Folk of the Air'' series. ...

, and many more. The theme was "''United by Words''".

2020

In 2020, the program focused on "''Tomorrow''" and included over 130 well-known authors and personalities from a variety of fields. Hazzaa Al Mansoori, the first Emirati in space, was one of the attendees. As part of the festival's stance as a family-friendly event that appeals to audiences of all ages, Oliver Jeffers, a visual artist and children's book author, also attended the festival.

2021

The festival of 2021 was held in three venues, Jameel Arts Centre, InterContinental Dubai Festival City, and Alserkal Avenue, over three weekends. Additionally, the programme featured Malala Yousefzai and Lemn Sissay, as well as Avni Doshi, Shahad AlRawi, Shamma Al Bastaki and Danabelle Gutierre. Designers Camil Karam & Hussein Alazaat also attended and discussed the history and evolution of Arab publications as part of the programme that was themed "''Change the Story''".

2022

After the world started to recover from the pandemic in 2022 The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature took place at Habtoor City hotels, in Dubai, in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and was themed "''Here Comes the Sun''". The majority of the sessions were held there, but some special events were held at expo2020 and Jameel Arts Centre.some highlight guests include: Ashraf Al Ashmawi, David Edward Williams, Ahmed Mourad, Sara Gay Forden, Myrna Ayad,

Julia Quinn Julie Pottinger (née Cotler; born 1970), better known by her pen name Julia Quinn, is a best-selling American author of historical romance fiction. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages, and have appeared on ''The New York Times'' Be ...

, Azza Fahmy, Lucinda Dickens-Hawksley and Gary Vee. The festival also brought back the dessert stanzas event, which was highly anticipated.

Awards

* The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature won the Middle East Event Awards’ Best Festival Award three times, in 2013, 2014 and 2015. * The Festival was awarded Best Family Friendly Day Out Award at the Time Out Kids Awards 2016 and Favorite Festival at the What’s On Awards 2016. * The Festival won the Best Arts & Culture Event at the Middle East Special Events Award in 2018. * In 2019, the festival won the MEPRA Awards in two categories: Gold Winner for Best Consumer Services Campaign and Gold Winner for Best Non-Profit/ Humanitarian/ Charitable Campaign. * In 2020, the festival won the Gold Award in MEPRA Awards for Best Arts & Culture Campaign. * In 2020, the festival won the Gulf Sustainability and CSR awards, in two categories: Best Sustainability Education or Awareness Program, and Best Community Development. * In 2021, the festival won the Gold Award in MEPRA Awards for Best Arts & Culture Campaign, Best Consumer Services Campaign and Best Use of Limited Budget.

References

{{reflist Literary festivals in the United Arab Emirates The Emirates Group Spring (season) events in the United Arab Emirates