Meet the fantastic authors that are coming to London Book Fair 2022.
Dr Abdulaziz AlMusallam
Dr Abdulaziz Al-Musallam is an Emirati novelist, writer, researcher and consultant in cultural heritage. He is the chairman of Sharjah Institute for Heritage and an executive member of a number of international organizations and associations concerned with cultural heritage.
Dr Abdulaziz is known for his research and scientific interests in the Gulf and Arab cultural heritage and has tangible efforts in supporting researchers and institutions concerned with heritage. He holds a PhD in History and Heritage. He has a collection of publications in culture, fairy tales, folk memory and Nabati poetry where some of his works have been translated into English, Italian, Spanish and Czech.
Dr Abdulaziz has received a number of Emirati and Gulf awards including; Certificate of Excellence in Government Performance in the Public Service by Government of Sharjah, Cultural Personality of the Year 2012, Medal of the Gulf Innovators - Research category in Oral History - Kuwait 2014. He was chosen as a candidate for the Swedish Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2016 Sweden.
Dr Afra Atiq
Dr Afra Atiq is an Emirati scholar, teaching artist, and poet. She completed her PhD in Media and Creative Industries at UAE University. Her research focuses on mapping the Arab literary ecosystem and uses, in particular, the use of the parallel convergent research method. Additionally, she has been published in notable academic journals.
She also has a master’s degree in diplomacy and has been published in international peer reviewed journals. Her research focuses on mapping the Arab literary sphere, education, literacy, social media effects and collective memory.
Over the years, she mentored and coached students and writers. She has also conducted numerous workshops and speaking engagements. Her artistic work explores a broad range of topics which include heritage, culture, identity, and legacy.
Dr Afra has been awarded for her poetry and has been featured on stages across the world. Most notably, she has been featured at Expo 2020 Dubai, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Dubai Opera.
She writes and performs in a blend of English, Arabic, and French. She’s a founding member of Untitled Chapters – a community for Emirati women writers.
Dubai Abulhoul
Dubai Abulhoul is an Emirati author, Rhodes Scholar, and founder of Fiker Institute, an interdisciplinary think tank based in Dubai. She has recently published a series of 6 children's books, aiming to introduce key figures of Emirati folklore to younger generations, and to preserve Emirati folktales. She graduated from the University of Oxford (Diplomacy & Global Governance), and from New York University Abu Dhabi (Political Science & Literature).
Khalid AlBudoor
Khalid AlBudoor is a popular Arabic poet born in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. AlBudoor, who was raised in Dubai, is considered to be one of the most important names in the modern poetry movement of the UAE. He studied mass communication at United Arab Emirates University and then attended Ohio University in the United States where he obtained an MA in script writing. He began publishing his poetry in 1980 and has been quite active in his community, helping to establish the Emirati Writers’ Union and participating in several poetry festivals in the UAE and abroad. His first collection of poetry “NIGHT”, published in Lebanon in 1992, won Al-Khal Poetry Award. To date, he has published six poetry collections.
Since 1988, AlBudoor has been working as researcher and documentary film writer focusing on the intangible cultural heritage of the United Arab Emirates. This includes oral heritage, Nabati poetry, traditional music, and storytelling. His documentaries and television programs have received awards and recognition, both locally and internationally.
H.E. Mohammed Al-Murr
H.E. Mohammad Al-Murr is a prominent writer from UAE. He has published over 15 volumes of short stories and has had two collections translated into English: Dubai Tales and The Wink of the Mona Lisa.
H.E. Al Murr graduated from Syracuse University in the United States, and has been a member of a number of UAE academic institutions and councils. He is the head of the Dubai Cultural Council, recently reorganized as the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.
In 2011 H.E. Al Murr was appointed to the Federal National Council's 15th Chapter as a representative of the Emirate of Dubai, and elected uncontested as Speaker. He served as the speaker from 2011 to 2015.
H.E. Omar Ghobash
H.E. Omar Ghobash is Assistant Minister for Cultural Affairs – Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation in UAE, Ambassador to the Republic of France in 2017 and the Russian Federation (2008-2017). He is also the author of Letters to a Young Muslim - personal and insightful letters to his son, a vital manifesto tackling the dilemmas facing young Muslims and everyone navigating the complexities of today’s world.
H.E. Mr. Omar Ghobash has established the Arabic Booker Prize for fiction and Saif Ghobash-Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation in memory of his father who was UAE’s first Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
