Dubai: Isobel Abulhoul, director of Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and co-founder of Magrudy's bookshop, has been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Isobel was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony in London on December 31 in recognition of her years of service to education and British literature in the UAE.
"I am very lucky to be so honoured and so fortunate to work with a wonderful team of individuals who ensure that the literary festival brings celebration and enjoyment to a huge number of people each year, enriching the cultural environment of this wonderful city of Dubai," said Isobel, who is also the founder of Jerboa Books.
With the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature now in its fourth year, Isobel, who arrived in the Gulf nearly four decades ago, has successfully positioned the region, and more specifically the UAE, as a social and cultural hub that draws hundreds of top authors and thinkers from around the world.
Growing following
The festival will be held this year from March 6 to March 10 and will witness participation from more than 100 writers and speakers from 25 different countries.
"We put this amazing crowd of award-winning writers and poets, world-renowned thinkers and beloved children's authors into the eclectic, exciting, incredible melting pot of events and activities that define our festival and Dubai itself.
"The result is a feast of the written word, a gourmet menu for the mind which is a true celebration for everyone, regardless of age, nationality and personal taste," Isobel had earlier said about the literature festival. Talking about children's writing competitions and new talent development programmes included in the festival, she said: "Parents shape and mould us in our early years, and I have to wholeheartedly thank my dear late parents, for passing on to me, in full measure, their love of books, and the belief that each of us can and should make a difference in the world about us, no matter how small."
100 authors expected
More than 100 authors and speakers will participate in the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. Among the top names expected this year are Chetan Bhagat, Jeremy Bowen, Bobby Chinn, Steve Coll, Imtiaz Dharker, Bi Feiyu, Paolo Giordano, A.C. Grayling, Sadakat Kadri, and Zaghuna Kargar.
Some 30 authors will be participating in the event for a second or third time and this year will also mark an increased participation of Arab writers.
The festival will include sessions on cookery, travel, sport, horror, popular fiction, literary fiction, crime, graphics, poetry, politics, journalism, autobiography, biography, entertainment, master-classes, screen-writing, adventure, translation, creative writing, philosophy, local history, folk history, Islamic art, Islamic studies, fantasy and science fiction. The festival aims to reach at least 20,000 young people this year in line with its mission of education.
