Abu Dhabi gets a taste of Brazil with translation of noted works
Adozen Brazilian-Arab authors will have their works translated by Abu Dhabi publishing house Kalima.
It was announced during the Frankfurt Book Fair that a series of 12 books will be published from the largest Arab diaspora in the world, totalling 16 million. The books will range from short stories to poetry collections and novels.
The authors include renowned Brazilian literary figures Milton Hatoum, Salim Miguel and Michel Sleiman, all of whom were born in Brazil but whose roots are in Lebanon.
The first of the 12 books is now in translation, with a launch planned in both Abu Dhabi and Sao Paulo next year.
The initiative is part of an agreement between the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT) and Pessoa, the largest online Portuguese-language magazine, which will translate the Brazilian works from the Portuguese language into Arabic.
In addition to building cultural inroads into the biggest book market in Latin America, DCT’s director of publishing Saeed Al Tunaiji states the collection is also in response to a growing international interest in authors living abroad as part of an established diaspora.
“There is definitely a fascination with this genre and when it comes to the Arab world, there is an interest and curiosity about how the Arabic diasporas live abroad,” he told
The National in Frankfurt. “There is an interest in the way they see the world, their communities and how they live abroad while maintaining their culture. A lot of people can identify with that.”
Al Tunaiji states the initiative is part of the strengthening of ties between the UAE and South America. The publications are supported by the UAE Consulate in Brazil and the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
The Frankfurt Book Fair also ran a “matchmaking” session between UAE and Brazilian publishing houses. Organised by the Sharjah-based Emirates Publishers Association, which had a stand at the fair, the focus was on the purchase and sale of the translation rights of Arabic and Brazilian works.
This programme was initiated in August when the Sharjah International Book Fair was the guest of honour of the Sao Paulo International Book Fair.
It underscores, Al Tunaiji says, the power of cultural exchange in building international ties with other countries.
“And there is more to come,” he says. “Although it took us a year to get this book series initiative organised and to start rolling, this is only a first step as we plan to do bigger things in Latin America with other important countries in that region.”