A family looks into the book shelves at SIBF.

Few things give a person more comfort and relaxation than curling up with a book. It is his or her best companion, there is no substitute for that.

To the child, a book transports him to a world of fantasy, magic and wonder; taking him to places in his imagination he never tread before.

To the adult, it offers new insights into the author’s mind, either about his life or his characters. A thriller for instance holds him in a grip of excitement, dread and suspense; a self-help or motivational book guides him to better living; a biography offers new insights into a renowned figure.

To the lover of a book, there is nothing that could offer more delight than feeling the crisp crinkle of its leaves.

The Sharjah book fair organisers know this full well, and offer every year both a visual and cerebral treat for visitors who eagerly wait for its opening.

A mother browses through books at SIBF.

The resilience and sheer capability of Sharjah’s cultural project has received an unprecedented attestation with the successful 11-day run of the 39th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which began on November 4 and concluded yesterday (Saturday). Turning the challenges posed by the global Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic into a unique opportunity, Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) crossed a new milestone in designing and delivering SIBF 2020 as the the first global event that has succeed in an in-person and on-ground format since major events and fairs around the world were cancelled since March to contain the pandemic.

An aerial view of the SIBF.

The hybrid offline – online model of SIBF 2020 themed ‘The World Reads from Sharjah’ and organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), offered 1,024 publishers from 73 nations a much-needed opportunity to showcase millions of titles including 80,000 new releases to a physical audience of 382,000 people who visited the book fair.

On the other hand, SIBF 2020’s diverse cultural agenda, was taken entirely on SBA’s ‘Sharjah Reads’ virtual platform, and attracted a global participation of 63,500 attendees who joined in virtually from around the globe to hear from renowned authors, intellectuals, poets and politicians, and partake in key discussions led by social media and digital experts.

Among the literary luminaries and global cultural figures that participated in the 11-day fair were Wasini al-A'raj, Ahmed Murad, Lina Khoury, Dr Mohsen Al Ramli Mishel Hamad, in addition to Prince Ea, Robert Kiyosaki, Lang Leav, Ian Rankin, Najwa Zebian, Neil Pasricha, andElisabetta Dami, and many others.