Author Line-Up Announced for 10th Anniversary of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

The UAE’s annual celebration of the written and spoken word, the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, has announced its strongest ever line-up for its 10th anniversary event, which takes place from 1-10 March 2018.

To mark this milestone occasion, an exclusive list of 25 unmissable sessions will be released from today at a special Early Bird discount offer of 15%.

Bestselling international authors David Walliams, Alexander McCall Smith, Shashi Tharoor and 2017 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) winner Mohammed Hasan Alwan are just some of the renowned names who are now on sale. The Early Bird list also includes Anthony Horowitz with a new Alex Rider novel; the prolific Jacqueline Wilson, talking about her latest book Wave Me Goodbye; explorer Levison Wood, with tales of his adventures along the Silk Route and veteran journalist Kate Adie. Following his sell-out sessions last year, the UAE Ambassador to France, His Excellency Omar Saif Ghobash returns, this time in conversation with former British Ambassador to Lebanon, Tom Fletcher.

The Big Events

This year’s landmark event features some of the biggest names in the poetry world, taking the stage for a truly unique performance. ‘For the Love of Words’ celebrates the power of poetry across cultures, within the magnificent setting of Dubai Opera. This exceptional evening presents a once in a lifetime gathering of the best UK and UAE contemporary poets including Khalid AlBudoor, Nujoom Nasser AlGhanem, spoken word artist Afra Atiq, UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage, John Agard, Imtiaz Dharker, Roger McGough, Grace Nichols, Lemn Sissay and World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker. This extraordinary night of poetry has been made possible thanks to a collaboration between the Festival, Dubai Opera and The British Council, with the support of the UK GREAT campaign.

Other highlight events include the chance to join food legends Madhur Jaffrey and Ken Hom at their exclusive Festival dining experiences, and an invitation to come along to the Festival’s Richard and Judy Book Club. Hosted by Britain’s beloved broadcasters and book champions, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, the couple will introduce their pick of Festival authors and discuss the novels guaranteed to get book lovers buzzing.

Page to Screen

Saroo Brierley, whose story inspired the Oscar-nominated film Lion, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, will talk about his life and introduce a special screening of the film, in partnership with Dubai International Film Festival. The programme also features columnist and author Cheryl Strayed, whose book Wild was adapted to the Oscar-nominated film starring Reese Witherspoon; bestselling author of the soon-to-be-released film Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan; and James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner series, on which the hit films are based.

In addition, there is a rare chance to see Andy Weir, via live video link from the United States. His debut novel, The Martian, was a runaway hit in 2014 and later adapted to a blockbuster film by Ridley Scott, starring Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain.

Tickets for other Early Bird sessions include Nnedi Okorafor, whose award-winning novel set in Africa, Who Fears Death, is being adapted for television by HBO and George RR Martin; brilliant horror writer Joe Hill and his Locke & Key comic series co-creator Gabriel Rodriguez; and Rhianna Pratchett, writer of the Tomb Raider video game reboot and daughter of legendary science-fiction author Terry Pratchett.

Palestinian author Ibrahim Nasrallah, nominated for an IPAF for Time of White Horses; Syrian author of No Knives in the Kitchens of This City, Khaled Khalifa, shortlisted twice for an IPAF; and acclaimed Indian author Chetan Bhagat discussing his latest novel, One Indian Girl, about the impact of societal expectations on women in India, are also featured in the early release. 

The Early Bird Discount offer ends 24 November 2017. For the full list of First 25 sessions, and the complete line up of 2018 authors, visit: emirateslitfest.com

The Festival is held in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, and the author list was presented during the launch event at the home of the Festival, the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City.

Speaking at the event, Isobel Abulhoul, OBE, CEO and Trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation and Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, said: ‘When we started 10 years ago, none of us could have foreseen the enormous positive impact the Festival has had on the literary scene in the region. Thanks to our patron His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Festival has been able to blaze a trail and become a Festival of international standing, attracting authors from across the globe. In our first year 65 authors attended. Since 2009 more than 1000 bestselling authors have visited Dubai, helping to share our passion for reading, opening the door to other worlds and building an appreciation of different genres, viewpoints and cultures. More than 20,000 students benefit through our Education Programme each year; the Festival has helped   launch the international publishing careers of eight locally-based debut authors, and has received numerous awards.

‘All this could not have happened without our partners, supporters and sponsors, most notably Emirates Airline, our title sponsor, who have helped make all this possible.’

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