UAE Sharjah International Book Fair Opens November 1... Korea Participates as Guest of Honor

November 1-12, Held in Sharjah, UAE
South Korea Operates Guest of Honor Pavilion
Introducing Korean Books, Authors, and Culture

The Middle East's largest book festival, the '2023 Sharjah International Book Fair' (SIBF), opened on November 1 (local time) at the Sharjah Expo Center in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and will welcome visitors until the 12th. Marking its 42nd year since its first event in 1982, this year's guest of honor is Korea. This is the first time Korea has participated as the guest of honor at a Middle Eastern book fair. It plans to introduce Korean books and authors to over 2,000 publishing professionals from 108 countries.

The scene of the Sharjah International Book Fair held in 2018.
[Photo by Sharjah International Book Fair website]

The guest country pavilion (Korea Pavilion) has prepared a variety of programs under the theme 'Unlimited Imagination.' It introduces a total of 79 Korean books categorized into sub-themes such as 'Horizon of Time' (space, earth, ecosystem, online), 'Palace of Memory' (myth, religion, monsters, history), 'Expansion of Senses' (flora and fauna, humans, community), and 'Emerging Future' (SF, machines, robots, dystopia).

Authors such as Kim Seung-hee, Jeong Ho-seung, Kim Ae-ran, Kim Eon-su, Bae Myung-hoon, and Hwang Sun-mi will promote Korean literature to the world through keynote lectures. A Korean literature anthology featuring translations of 70 literary works will also be showcased.

Literary scholar An Ji-na, web novelist Jeong Mu-ni, and cartoonist Jeong Se-won will also introduce Korean content to the world through diverse programs. Authors Kyung Hye-won, Kim Sang-geun, Park Hyun-min, and Choi Hye-jin will engage in picture book talk sessions.

Programs introducing Korean culture have also been arranged. Korean fusion gugak (traditional music) and performance teams Sangjaru and Haepali will perform. Chefs Kim Joo-hyun and Kim Kyung-min will present Korean cuisine. Additionally, traditional fan coloring and hanbok experience events are planned.

Sharjah is considered a cultural hub among the seven emirates of the UAE, a cultural powerhouse in the Middle East. It fosters publishing as a national industry and actively promotes international publishing exchanges. In 2019, it was designated as the UNESCO World Book Capital.

The opening ceremony, held at 10 a.m. local time on November 1, is expected to be attended by Jeon Byeong-geuk, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Ryu Je-seung, Ambassador of Korea to the UAE, among others.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.