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Qatar

Qatar’s private publishing firms make huge presence at book fair

Published: 11 Jan 2020 - 10:12 am | Last Updated: 28 Dec 2021 - 11:39 am
People visiting the HBKU Press pavilion at the 30th edition of the Doha International Book Fair at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), yesterday.  Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula

People visiting the HBKU Press pavilion at the 30th edition of the Doha International Book Fair at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), yesterday. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula

Sidi Mohamed | The Peninsula

Doha: The 30th edition of Doha International Book Fair is witnessing the largest participation of private publishing houses of Qatar through hundreds of titles of Qatari and Arab authors as well as multiple translations of foreign writers.

Among the Qatari publishing houses participating in the Fair with many important books include Katara Publishing House (with 150 titles), Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (over 100 new titles), Roza Publishing House (115 titles), Dar Al Watad (35 titles) and Lusail Publishing House with 126 titles.

Speaking to The Peninsula, Fatima Al Rifae, director of production and distribution at Lusail Publishing House said: “We are participating in the Fair with more than 120 Lusail publications and through our pavilion, about 15 other publishing houses are also displaying their books.”

She said that Lusail pavilion at the Fair offered different types of publications like children’s books, history books and literature adding, “This is the second year in a row that Lusail Publishing House participated in the book fair. We always participate in all Arab and international book exhibitions.”

“Our pavilion includes books of Qatari writers and foreign and Arab diplomatic figures. We have publications on all subjects: philosophy, literature and Qatari history. We also have books which have been translated into seven languages including English, French, Russian, German, Turkish and Urdu.”

The Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press also participating in the Fair for the tenth year in a row, as part of its commitment to encourage the love for reading and knowledge among members of society in Qatar and the Middle East.

“We are participating in the Fair with over 100 new titles in English and Arabic languages, in addition to translated works from languages around the world,” said a representative of Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press pavilion.

He further said: “The pavilion includes children’s books, health books, fiction and non-fiction, academic books and biographies. Also, books at the pavilion include translation from/to 14 languages includes English, Spanish, French, Greek and Turkish.”

The participation of the Qatari publishing houses comes along 335 other publishers from 31 countries around the world. 

In the past two days, the Fair witnessed a great turnout by the public. The visitors also attended various cultural events being organised on the sidelines of the Book Fair exhibition.

This year, the Book Fair includes 797 pavilions in an area of 29,000 square metres. The number of pavilions for Arabic books is 559, representing 228 publishing houses, and the number of foreign pavilions is 91 representing 35 foreign publishing houses, while the number of publishing houses for children is 72.