Jeddah Book Fair delights visitors with a diverse cultural program and more than 900 participating publishing houses
13th December, Jeddah – The Jeddah Book Fair 2022 (‘JBF’) opened its doors to visitors at the Jeddah Superdome, the world’s largest freestanding dome as recognized by Guinness World Records. This year’s Fair, which is held under the theme of, ‘A Glimpse Into the Future Through Books’, will run until December 17th with more than 900 local, regional and international participating publishing houses.
The third major international book fair in the Saudi cultural calendar, Jeddah Book Fair showcases the breadth of ambition and opportunity in the country and reinforces the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for publishing and literary exchange.
Accompanied by a diverse cultural program of more than 100 activities across the 10 days, Jeddah Book Fair is drawing visitors from across the Kingdom and beyond to experience its action-packed schedule which includes poetry evenings, concerts and areas dedicated to manga and anime.
Commenting on the opening of the Fair, CEO of the Literature, Publishing & Translation Commission, Dr. Mohammad Alwan, said, “We are delighted to host the 2022 Jeddah Book Fair which is now a firm fixture on the Saudi cultural scene. JBF caters to the increasing thirst for knowledge and provides opportunities for partnerships and investment. Through events like this, we are providing Saudis with access to this ever-expanding domain and welcoming visitors and participants from the world over to be a part of the growth of this important sector.
Dr. Alwan added, “This year, we are thrilled to introduce two ‘firsts’ for the Kingdom: The Science Fiction Conference, which brought together leading sci-fi and fantasy fiction experts to explore the untapped potential of these genres, and the Digital Publishing Conference which explored the latest technological advances and best practice in the field.”
Held between December 8-9th, the Science Fiction Conference provided fairgoers the opportunity to attend panel discussions with prominent sci-fi authors and experts, including Mohamed Diab, screenwriter, and film director of Moon Knight Marvel; Richard Morgan, author of Altered Carbon; Richard Denault, co-producer of the Netflix popular sci-fi series Stranger Things; and Matthew Reinhardt, illustrator of pop-up books for children.
Another first for the Kingdom, the Digital Publishing Conference was held on December 10 and featured a range of workshops and panel discussions exploring key topics within the realms of digital publishing. Saudi and international experts participated in panel discussions where they shared their knowledge on best practices in marketing, distribution, and translation.
Jeddah Book Fair builds on the successes of Riyadh International Book Fair and the Medina Book Fair both held earlier this year. This year’s Riyadh International Book Fair attracted over 1 million visitors during the 10-day event.
Pic Credit: Edelman
