• 100 authors
• 50 per cent more sessions
• Arabic interest sessions doubled to 20
• 4 sessions dedicated to Emirati writers and writing
• Children’s programme tripled
• New musical strands, workshops and cookery demonstrations

1 February 2010, Dubai, UAE: A packed 2010 Festival programme, bursting with author sessions, workshops and entertainment for adults, children and teens was unveiled today by organisers of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.  Tickets for this not-to-be-missed event, go on sale today! Taking place from March 10th-13th at the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City, the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature offers a unique opportunity to meet more than 100 celebrated authors from around the world.  The Festival is held under the patronage of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority(Dubai Culture).

Tickets for the fun-packed Festival are priced from AED 39 and can be purchased from selected Magrudy’s outlets in the UAE or from the Festival’s official website- www.emirateslitfest.com. As a community event, many of the Festival attractions will be free, including the Fringe Festival, the Fringe Parade and a Time Out Kids Zone.
Commenting on the enthusiastic response to the 2010 Festival, Festival Director Isobel Abulhoul, said: “We’ve built on the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the inaugural Festival from the community, with more authors, an expanded programme and a greater range of activities.  The Festival’s line-up includes something for everyone - stimulating workshops, readings, entertainment, chill-out zones, a children’s activity area and a free Fringe Festival showcasing local talent. The Festival will bring together thousands of people from across the UAE and throughout the region who enjoy discussion, debating ideas or simply having a great day out.”

The 2010 programme will be launched in two phases.  Today’s phase includes the full children’s programme plus selected highlights from the main programme for adults.  Tickets for all workshops are also now available for purchase from today.

Phase 1 – Main Programme Selected Highlights

Day 1 (Wednesday 10th March)
The 2010 Festival will open with a session on ‘Emerging Emirati Writers’ followed by the launch of Khaled Al Budoor’s collection of historic Emirati, poetry going back to the 1800’s, entitled Looking Back with Love.  Other highlights for day will include the appearance of two International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) winners, Youssef Ziedan and Bahaa Taher.  Day one will culminate with an eagerly anticipated session with Martin Amis who will be discussing his latest novel The Pregnant Widow.

Day 2 (Thursday 11th March)
The second day of the Festival will see Alexander McCall Smith (No 1 Ladies Detective Agency), author and jet-setting commentator Shobbha De, and renowned BBC broadcaster John Simpson take part in author sessions on a range of fascinating topics.  Another highlight of Day two will be a session of Arabic poetry, which will see some of the most progressive and influential contemporary Arab poets (Amjad Nasser, Iman Mersal and Samer Abou Hawwash), taking the stage together.

Day 3 (Friday 12th March)
A stellar line-up will entertain Festival-goers on Day three.  BBC broadcaster, Kate Adie, will delight audiences with anecdotes from her long and varied career.  Fiction writers Chris Cleave, (The Other Hand), Vikas Swarup, (Slumdog Millionaire), Yann Martel (Life of Pi) and leading graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi, (Persepolis), will provide insights into their craft in a series of one-to-one conversations.  With humour and insight, Imran Ahmad will discuss the personal challenges of getting published in a post 9-11 world.  BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardiner will appearing via video link from London to discuss his new book Far Horizons.  Indian novelist Amit Chaudhuri and local musicians will bring the evening to a close with a musical finale.

Day 4 (Saturday 13th March)
The momentum builds on Day four of the Festival with an ‘in conversation’ event with Wilfred Thesiger’s biographer, Alexander Maitland.  Adding more flavour to the Festival will be a cookery demonstration of healthy Indian food by Anjum Anand, the new face of Indian cuisine. Wizards, warriors and agent legends will be the topic of Joe Abercrombie’s ‘in conversation’.  For travel writing fans, Tim Butcher will describe his adventures in Africa which were the inspiration for the bestselling Blood River and his new novel Chasing the Devil.  In their session, Nadia Fouda and Andy Smart will discuss the challenges of translating The Gruffalo from English into Arabic.

Programme for Children
Following feedback from the 2009 Festival, the Festival organisers have tripled the size of the 2010 children’s programme.  All 17 sessions will run on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th March.  Three mega-star writers - Jacqueline Wilson, Darren Shan and Garth Nix will wow older children.  Roger McGough will delight younger children and their parents with his own brand of performance poetry.  New for 2010 will be three children’s storytelling events in Arabic by Nadine Touma, Taghreed Najjar and Fatima Sharafeddine.  There will also be a wonderful line-up of authors for pre-school and primary aged children including Polly Dunbar, Conn Iggulden, Oliver Jeffers, Julia Johnson, Caroline Lawrence, Michelle Paver, Tony Ross and Ian Whybrow. Gervase Phinn’s solo performance will delight adults and older children. Tickets for all children’s sessions are now available
Once again, simultaneous translation will be available for all author sessions.

New for 2010 – Workshops Programme
For the first time, the Festival will host a range of workshops for adults and children.   Experts from around the world will provide master classes for adults in creative writing, drama and translation (Arabic to English).  Children will be able to take part in creative writing, drama and illustration workshops.  Tickets for all workshops are now available.

Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman, Emirates Airline and Group commented: “Based on the excellent response to the 2009 Festival, we are delighted to extend our enthusiastic support to the Festival this year. This is now a landmark event on Dubai’s cultural calendar for families, residents and expatriates from different cultures. It is a true celebration of the joy of reading books that gives us a glimpse into worlds other than our own.”
The free Fringe Festival, a key attraction of the four-day event, will take place on-site and is designed to act as a platform for Dubai’s young writers and performers to showcase their talent. Readings, singing and drama performances will make the Fringe Festival a memorable experience.  Speaking of the wonderful events lined up for the 2010 Festival, Saeed Al Naboudah, Chief Projects Officer, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, said; “The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature involves the entire community and is an opportunity to understand the minds behind many of the books we have enjoyed reading and an occasion to celebrate the uniting spirit of literature. The event also encourages young aspiring writers and performers to showcase their talent and receive feedback on their skills from established authors and artists We need to talk about our mandate to establish Dubai as a “reading city” through the promotion of the public libraries & the role of the Authority in creating an environment in which culture & arts thrives and is accessible to all.”

Following last year’s success, the Festival will once again feature Education Day events, giving an opportunity for students from various institutions in the UAE to interact with Festival authors. The Education Days will be held at the Dubai Scientific and Cultural Association, Al Mamzar and in Dubai Public Library on March 10^th and 11^th.

For further information, please contact us.