Starting this week, Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) is participating in this year’s Muscat International Book Fair, a regional exhibition that hosts hundreds of other publishing houses from the Gulf and the Middle East.  

Bachar Chebaro, Executive Director of HBKU Press, said that their presence in Oman will help promote local talents and narratives to other regions of the world. The HBKU Press booth represents over eight years of acclaimed works and innovative publications, with over 100 titles on showcase, and two high-profile authors scheduled to do book signings at the booth.

Best-selling young Adult author, Eissa Abdulla, will be at the HBKU Press booth this Friday, 23 February to sign copies of his books Mamlakat Ibreez and Shawk Al Kawadi.

On Saturday, 24 February, Omani author and illustrator Ibtihaj Al-Harthi will hold a book-signing session for her two books published by HBKU Press: Mah and Me and Ghosoun and her Brother, the Gazelle. Al-Harthi both penned and illustrated Mah and Me and was awarded the prestigious Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature in 2015. Ghosoun and her Brother, the Gazelle was illustrated by the artist in typical Omani style.

Another book signing will also be held at the HBKU Press booth by Dr Amal Al-Malki, co-author of Arab Women in Arab News on 25 February. The groundbreaking work of non-fiction is the first of its kind to take a look at the distorted representation of Arab women in the media. This book provides systematic answers and sheds light on a range of concepts through which Arab women can be canvassed, all couched in a lively and accessible exchange between leading experts on gender and human rights.

Other books available at the HBKU Press booth are some notable newly translated works including: Fanaan Min Al-‘Alam Al-‘Aaem (Artist of the Floating World) written by 2017 Nobel Laureate, Kazuo Ishiguro; and Al Sayadoun, the debut novel of acclaimed Nigerian novelist Chigozie Obioma, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2015.

The complete collection of works by Khaled Hosseini in Arabic, Wa Raddadat Al-Jibal Al- Sada (And the Mountains Echoed), Alf Shamsin Sati’a (A Thousand Splendid Suns), and ‘Addaa’ Al-Ta’ira Al-Waraqiyya (The Kite Runner) are also  available.

Muscat International Book Fair was launched in 1992 and is a foremost cultural, intellectual and literary forum in the region.

HBKU Press will be at the fair for its entirety from 22 February to 3 March. Visit their website for more information. You can also follow updates on the Muscat International Book Fair through their Facebook page