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Every year the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature brings together people from the four corners of the world to Dubai to entertain, captivate and inspire us. These extraordinary writers bring new ideas and different perspectives, promoting dialogue, sharing their works, their thoughts, and their words, building bridges across cultures. This is a Festival full of ideas, of conversations and of stories being written, filling me with hope for the future.

 

Throughout, the Festival has maintained its passion in championing the joys of reading, bringing the world of books into the spotlight in the UAE. It has provided a platform for the wider appreciation of Arabic poetry and literature, both at home and abroad, and an opportunity to celebrate Emirati culture.

 

It is a privilege to bring the world to Dubai, through a shared love of literature.

 

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman Emirates Literature Foundation, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline & Group, Chairman Dubai Airports

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is so much more than an annual highlight on the cultural calendar. The Festival promotes reading as a life-changing habit and culture as a fundamental right. Over the past 15 years, the Festival has contributed to raising awareness about the role of literature in understanding the world, each other, and in embracing our differences before our similarities. The Festival has the ability to bring together the best of all cultures in order to make a real difference in the world.

 

The theme of this year’s edition is Old Friends. For me, personally, books are old friends that have made me cry and laugh and have stayed with me long after I’ve turned the last page. But this year, we will also be welcoming some of our favourite authors from previous Festivals back to the Emirates LitFest stage. As well as a plethora of new talents in all fields of creativity and offering a programme packed with special events that will ensure lasting memories for all attendees.

 

It will be my pleasure to welcome you all in Dubai in February 2023 to celebrate the Festival’s success over the years and to witness a snapshot of the work that Emirates Literature Foundation has been doing since 2013 with the goal of creating a sustainable literary eco-system in the UAE and the region.

 

Ahlam Bolooki, Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Festival Director

The Emirates Literature Foundation is a not-for-profit non-governmental organisation that supports and nurtures a love of literature in the UAE and across the region through a programme of varied cultural initiatives. Recognising the distinctive contribution that literature makes to children’s lives, the Foundation focuses on introducing and cultivating a spirit of reading while acting as a catalyst for writing and cultural exchange.

Have a question about this year’s LitFest? We’re happy to provide you with the answers you seek, from practical details about this year’s events and more information about our venues and programme, to responses to other frequently asked questions.