The 29th annual Sharjah International Book Fair drew some 750 publishers and showcased 200,000 book titles—including one by Sharjah's ruler, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qassimi, a prolific author, who was on hand to sign copies of the English translation of his memoir, My Early Life, published by Bloomsbury and set to officially launch at the London Book Fair in 2011. "My father would tell us stories when we were children," Sheikha Bodour, the author's daughter told PW. "They were so interesting and charming that we encouraged him to write them down." Meanwhile, Sheikha Bodour, CEO of Kalimat, the largest children's publishing house in the Arab world, also made news at the fair, signing a contract with Lisa Milton of U.K. publisher Orion to translate a children's book, Tareeqati Al Khassa (My Own Special Way), Kalimat's first book to be sold to a foreign publisher. For more Sharjah coverage, visit publishersweekly.com.
Family Business at the 29th Sharjah International Book Fair
Nov 15, 2010
A version of this article appeared in the 11/15/2010 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: Family Business at the 29th Sharjah International Book Fair