By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson, November 7, 2024
The opening of the 43rd Sharjah International Book Fair included the Turjuman translation award and other honors in literary work.
The Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi honors partners and sponsors of Sharjah’s 1.4 million UAE dirhams (US$381,159) Turjuman Award in translation. Image: SBA, Nabs Ahmedi
Honoring ‘Endeavors in Translation, Authorship, and Publishing’
We continue working through the many news stories that have come out of this week’s Sharjah Publishers Conference and the opening of the Sharjah International Book Fair (running through November 17).
As happens each year, the opulent opening ceremony with which Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi opens the fair includes the presentation of a series of coveted awards. This year, these were presented onstage in the Expo Sharjah Ballroom by the Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA)—herself the founding publisher of the Kalimat Group, of course, and the past president of the International Publishers Association (IPA).
Al Qasimi is president of the American University at Sharjah, and honored both the winners of the 42rd Sharjah book fair’s programming as well as the seventh recipient of the particularly well funded Sharjah Translation Award, known as the Turjuman.
In addressing the winners before they each received an award from Al Qasimi onstage, she said, “Honoring exceptional creativity embodies one of Sharjah’s core cultural values. We are committed to fostering every creative contribution, which enriches our cultural landscape and inspires future generations, amplifying the role of knowledge in shaping resilient, interconnected societies.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations,” Al Qasimi said, “to all winners, and we and reaffirm Sharjah’s commitment to supporting their endeavors in translation, authorship, and publishing, ensuring their achievements’ long-term impact.
“These awards are designed to inspire further accomplishments, as every success in the cultural sphere is a step toward greater, farther-reaching goals.”
The invited audience on Wednesday morning (November 6) also heard from Khoula Al Mujaini, the book fair coordinator, who said, “Civilizations, in all their expressions—whether literature, thought, art, science, or architecture—preserve the legacy of creators who have captured their insights for future generations.
“History demonstrates that nations ascend and flourish through the contributions of their creative minds.”
2024 Awardees at Sharjah International Book Fair
Author Siddharth Kak accepts the 2024 Best International Nonfiction Book Award from the Sheikha Al Qasimi and Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri in for Kak’s book, written with Lila Kak Bhan, ‘Love, Exile, Redemption,’ published by Rupa Publications in India. Image: SBA, Nabs Ahmedi
Assisted by Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of the Sharjah Book Authority, Al Qasimi started with the translation award, the Turjuman, presenting the honor to a Turkish translation of The Ring of the Dove by Ibn Hazm Al-Andalusi, translated by Mehmet Hakkı Suçin and published by Alpha Publishing.
According to Publishing Perspectives‘ understanding, the Turjuman prize comes with a purse of 1.4 million UAE dirhams (US$381,159). That being the case, Al Qasimi also honored partners and sponsors of this signal award, including:
- Al Marwan Group; sponsors of Turjuman Award
- Etisalat, the official SIBF sponsor
- Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, the official media partner
- Expo Centre Sharjah, the venue partner
Also commended were Arada, development partner; BEEAH Group, sustainability partner; Invest Bank, banking partner; Abu Dhabi Media, media partner; and Skiply, educational solutions partner.
Remaining groups of awards in the program were the awards for Emirati books and a category of international book awards.