2023 Sharjah International Book Fair Opens... "Inviting the World... Congratulations to Korea as the Guest of Honor"

2023 Sharjah International Book Fair Opens, Runs Until the 12th
Over 2,000 Participants from 108 Countries
Sharjah King "Welcomes Korea Delegation as Guest of Honor"

The Middle East's largest book festival, the '2023 Sharjah International Book Fair,' opened on the 1st. Under the theme 'We Speak Books,' over 2,000 participants from 109 countries gathered at the Sharjah Expo Center. More than 1,700 events featuring famous authors such as Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and Canadian writer Malcolm Gladwell will be held until the closing day on the 12th.

At the opening ceremony of the 2023 Sharjah International Book Fair, Yoon Cheol-ho, President of the Korea Publishing Culture Association, is giving a speech.
[Photo by Seo Mideum]

The opening ceremony was attended by Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah; Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Director of the Sharjah Book Authority; Jeon Byeong-geuk, Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and Yoon Cheol-ho, President of the Korea Publishers Association. Ibrahim Al-Koni, regarded as a master of Arabic literature, received the Sharjah International Book Fair's Cultural Personality of the Year award.

King Muhammad Al Qasimi stated, “This exhibition will showcase excellent and diverse literary works,” and welcomed “the Korean delegation, the guest of honor country this year.”

Ahmed Al Ameri, Director of the Sharjah Book Authority, said, “We have invited and gathered more than half of the countries worldwide in Sharjah,” and added, “We congratulate the Republic of Korea, the guest of honor country. This opens a long-standing window of history toward Asia.”

King Muhammad Al Qasimi (second from the right) is being guided by Yoon Cheol-ho, President of the Korea Publishing Culture Association (right), as they tour the guest country pavilion.
[Photo by Seo Mideum]

Yoon Cheol-ho, President of the Korea Publishers Association, said, “We want to share the infinite imagination contained in Korean books with the readers of Sharjah,” and added, “The boundless imagination of those who create and love books makes the impossible possible and will lead us to the universe, a world of creation, prosperity, and peace. We hope Sharjah and Koreans will walk this path together.”

Jeon Byeong-geuk, Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, “Books are a valuable exchange that connects the cultural and historical values of two completely different countries,” and expressed hope that “various exchanges will broaden horizons and strengthen future cooperation and shared prosperity.”

Guest of Honor Pavilion (Korea Pavilion)
Photo by Seo Mideum

The Korean pavilion exhibited 70 titles in Korean. Local language explanations were attached in front of the books, and guides were stationed to answer additional inquiries. Literary works by a total of seven authors, including Kim Seung-hee, Jeong Ho-seung, Kim Ae-ran, Kim Eon-su, Bae Myung-hoon, and Son Won-pyung, were presented in translated versions.

Meetings with authors began that afternoon with novelist Hwang Sun-mi’s session titled ‘Holding Hands with the Past,’ engaging with local readers. Afterwards, poet Jeong Ho-seung took the microphone with ‘Despair, Another Name for Hope,’ followed by novelist Kim Ae-ran with a talk titled ‘Sorrow That Stays Beside Sorrow.’

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