UAE to showcase its publishing industry

abu dhabi — The Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi will participate at the world’s largest publishing trade fair in Frankfurt to showcase Abu Dhabi’s dynamic and diverse publishing industry at the event.

Celebrating 10 years of the Kalima Project, Dar Al Kutub’s (The National Library) presence at the book fair will highlight a selection of more than 100 titles that have been translated from German to Arabic since the project began.

Representatives from the UAE will participate in several seminars exploring the many aspects of publishing today. A talk will explore the Kalima Project’s journey into the translation of works by renowned German writers and literary scholars, including Herta Muller, Michael Marr, Peter Stamm, Ralph Rotman, Daniela Dantes, Daniel Kehlmann, Christa Wolf and Otfried Preussler.

The seminar will be presented by German writer and journalist Stephan Feidner, and will feature Saeed Hamdan, Director of Programme Management at the National Library Department, Klaus Reichert, President of the German Academy of Language and Literature, and Jordanian poet and interpreter, Mustafa Al Slaiman.

Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director-General at the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi, said: “The preservation of knowledge and the exchange of intercultural dialogue is key to the development of nations with tolerance and understanding. Translation and the sharing of that knowledge are imperative to our future and Kalima has been a cornerstone in our efforts to revive the rich linguistic history of the Arab world.

“In working towards unifying the publishing industry while initiating intercultural communication today, the work that has been done through Kalima exemplifies our commitment to providing future generations with access to literature from across the globe and disciplines that have been translated at the highest level of quality.

“Our participation at the world’s largest publishing trade event is testament to the great strides that Kalima has taken to further the progress of cultural understanding and exchange.” — Wam