11th Katara Arabic Novel Festival inaugurated

Doha, Qatar: The 11th Katara Arabic Novel Festival was inaugurated yesterday by the General Manager of the Cultural Village Foundation Katara Prof D...

Doha, Qatar: The 11th Katara Arabic Novel Festival was inaugurated yesterday by the General Manager of the Cultural Village Foundation – Katara Prof Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti in the presence of a number of officials, media professionals, and a large audience of cultural enthusiasts.

In his remarks on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony, Al-Sulaiti noted that the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel has achieved numerous accomplishments over the past eleven years, consolidating its position as the most important Arab platform celebrating the art of the novel and enhancing its presence regionally and internationally.

He said the award has witnessed increasing interest from writers and creatives, and has contributed to conveying the Arab narrative voice to the world through Unesco’s adoption of the International Novel Week from October 13 to 19 of each year. This event, being held in Hall 12 at Katara, is supported by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and Arab Ministers of Culture.

He emphasised that this edition of the Katara Arabic Novel Festival is exceptional by all standards, as the award enters its second decade. The award committee has adopted new initiatives and projects that will be announced during the festival’s current edition.

The opening ceremony also included the opening of an exhibition chronicling the life and career of the late writer and diplomat Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, who was named Personality of the Year. In addition to the author’s autobiography, the exhibition included excerpts from his more than 70 works in the fields of literature, poetry, thought, and development.