Sharjah International Book Fair set for 'hybrid' 39th edition

The 39th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) will adopt a hybrid online-offline format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The literary event will be held from November 4-14 under the theme 'The World Reads from Sharjah', bringing together 1,024 publishers from 73 countries along with 60 renowned Arab and international authors.

Visitors entering Sharjah Expo Centre from all access points will undergo thermal scanning and walk through sanitising gates.

The time slots for visiting the fairs will have to pre-booked online, and each visitor will be given a coloured bracelet to monitor the timings of their entry and exit. 

It is mandatory to wear face masks and maintain an appropriate distance from other visitors and publishers at the kiosks.

Additionally, a five-hour disinfection drive will be carried out across the fair’s halls and publisher stalls daily throughout the 11-day event.

International appearances at SIBF 2020 will be made by renowned American poet and spoken word artist, Prince Ea; Robert Kiyosaki, American businessman and author; Lang Leav, best-selling author from New Zealand; Ian Rankin, best-selling writer from the UK; Lebanese-Canadian author Najwa Zebian; Neil Pasricha, Canadian author and television host; popular Italian children's books author, Elisabetta Dami; Indian authors Ravinder Singh and Dr. Shashi Tharoor; and British writer Richard Ovenden, among others.

For the first time in SIBF’s history, Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has tied up with embassies of various countries in the UAE to design eight intellectual discussions, which will be led by Emirati writers and their counterparts from Spain, Germany, France, Italy and Russia, to name a few.

For SIBF’s large audience of children and youth, SBA is collaborating with the UAE’s Ministry of Education to host virtual meetings between students and their favourite authors and cultural figures.

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