Sharjah Book Authority
Sharjah Book Authority is a governmental entity, established in 2014 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It operates in several sectors, under the literary umbrella; including publishing, printing, book translation, book festivals, and children's literature.
History and development
The SBA was launched in 2014 by an Emiri decree of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.SBA participates in all international and regional book fairs like Frankfurt Book Fair, London Book Fair, Cairo International Book Fair, to name a few, and hosts numerous campaigns around the year to promote culture, literature, reading and the arts.
Scope of work
SBA leads on several cultural projects and events in the UAE, including Sharjah Publishing City, Sharjah Libraries, Sharjah Children's Reading Festival,Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) and Sharjah Book Fair – Translation GrantSBA also organises the Publishers Conference as well as an annual joint conference with the American Library Association.
In May 2019, SBA launched a new event call the Emirati Book Fair, aimed at showcasing the literary history of the Persian Gulf region.
Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF)
Sharjah International Book Fair is an 11-day international book fair held annually in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It was first launched in 1982, under the guidance and patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, the UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.SIBF 2018 hosted 1,874 publishing houses from 77 countries, with 1.6 million titles on display, including 80,000 new titles. The fair welcomed 2.23 million visitors, who had access to 20 million books.