Shoppers at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair
It was Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Women in black abayas and headscarves, children in tow, and men in flowing white dishdashas were wandering the aisles of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, eager to spend their dirhams. As a Western observer, I was intrigued to enter a realm very different from the more regimented fairs such as Book Expo America or The Frankfurt Book Fair, where publishers display their upcoming titles to booksellers and do rights business as well. For the Arab countries, in contrast, the book fair is predominantly a way to distribute reading materials directly to the buying populace. Read the rest of this entry »
