Abu Dhabi International Book Fair Unveils 13 Highlight Sessions Across Literature, Music, and Art

The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair returns with a diverse programme spanning literature, poetry, music, art, history, and space diplomacy. Running from Sunday until September 18 at Adnec, the 35th staging features around 1,500 events, with exhibitors from 95 countries and sessions spread across six stages.

The 17th-century Spanish novel Don Quixote has been designated the Book of the World, while eighth-century scholar Al Khalil ibn Ahmad Al Farahidi is the fair’s Focus Personality. The culture of the Balkan region is celebrated as Guest of Honour, with sessions exploring its publishing industry and culinary connections with the Arab world.

The programme also brings together winners of this year’s major Arabic literary prizes, musicians, artists, and cultural figures, featuring sessions on Egyptian singer Nagat Al Saghira, painter Inji Efflatoun, Cafe Riche, Abdel Halim Hafez, and the UAE’s use of space diplomacy. Below are 13 key sessions to catch:

1. Opening Ceremony

When: Sunday, 5pm
The fair opens with a programme looking back at its history since 1981, alongside Emirati music and a theatrical performance inspired by this year’s Focus Personality.

2. Cervantes and the Birth of the Modern Novel

When: September 14, 4pm
Few books changed fiction as decisively as Don Quixote. Published in the early 17th century, Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes’s masterpiece follows an ageing nobleman who imagines himself a knight-errant and sets out on a series of adventures with his companion Sancho Panza. The discussion, featuring Muhsin Al Musawi and Akeel Al Marai, considers its impact on modern literature and how the work opened the novel to a richer exploration of the human condition.

3. Nagat and the Golden Age of Arabic Music

When: September 14, 6pm
Egyptian singer Nagat Al Saghira is being recognised as Cultural Personality of the Year at the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. Nagat looks back on a career spanning decades, with songs including Oyoun El Qalb and La Takthibi, offering insight into one of the great eras of modern Arabic music.

4. Habib Al Sayegh: A Legacy of Giving, Poetry as a Nation’s Heritage

When: September 14, 7pm
This evening is dedicated to the works of the late Emirati poet and journalist, featuring readings and music honouring one of the leading figures of modern poetry in the UAE. Born in Abu Dhabi in 1955, Al Sayegh worked across various forms of classical Arabic poetry before he died in 2019, aged 64.

5. From Recognition to Readership: A Conversation with Said Khatibi, winner of the 2026 International Prize for Arabic Fiction

When: September 14, 9pm
This year’s International Prize for Arabic Fiction winner Said Khatibi discusses his award-winning novel Swimming Against the Tide, which traverses half a century of Algerian history through the intertwined stories of an ophthalmologist and her father. He also considers what literary prizes can do for Arabic fiction in reaching international readers.

6. Sung Secrets: Halim’s Other Half

When: September 14, 9pm
Twentieth-century Egyptian crooner Abdel Halim Hafez remains a defining voice of modern Arabic music. Writer Mohamed Abdelazim, composer Waleed Shaaban, and singer Adel Elsanhory discuss the songs, stories, and creative partnerships behind his career.

7. Cafe Riche: The Spirit of Place and Time

When: September 15, 5pm
For generations, Cafe Riche in Cairo was a meeting place for writers, artists, and intellectuals, including Naguib Mahfouz, Taha Hussein, and Abbas El-Akkad. Emirati poet and novelist Maisoon Saqr Al Qasimi joins Cafe Riche co-owner Andrew Michel to revisit the stories connected to the cultural landmark.

8. Salman Ziman: A Bahraini Musical Legacy

When: September 15, 9pm
The late Bahraini singer Salman Ziman helped shape the sound of Bahrain and Gulf music through songs such as Inta Muradi, Aqbel Al Eid, and Thikrayat. His younger brother, composer Khalifa Ziman, reflects on his life and work, followed by a performance by a Bahraini ensemble.

9. Al Farahidi and the Music of Arabic Poetry

When: September 16, 3pm
Eighth-century scholar Al Khalil ibn Ahmad Al Farahidi gave Arabic poetry an enduring structure. Literary critics Mohamed Abouelfadl Badran and Abdullah Ghlais, alongside musician Mustafa Said, discuss his creation of Arabic prosody and metrical science.

10. Rashid, Wadeha and the Blue Qur’an

When: September 16, 7pm
One of Zayed National Museum’s most significant holdings, a bifolio from the ninth-century Blue Quran, features in a family-friendly storytelling session led by Emirati authors Mohammed Al Mansoori and Latifa Al Mansoori.

11. The UAE in Times of Crisis Creates Miracles

When: September 17, 4pm
A timely discussion on how UAE authorities and society respond to challenges through institutional co-ordination, innovation, and leadership features Maya Al Mazrouei, spokeswoman for the UAE Ministry of Defence, and Emirati political analyst Salem Al Ketbi.

12. The UAE and the New Language of Space Diplomacy

When: September 17, 5pm
Naser Abdullatif Al Hammadi, head of international relations at the UAE Space Agency, discusses how space exploration can become a tool of diplomacy and international co-operation.

13. How Is Creativity Born? A Presentation of the Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun

When: September 17, 7pm
Barjeel Art Foundation founder Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi and its director, Suheyla Takesh, co-editors of The Life and Work of Inji Efflatoun, discuss the career of the influential Egyptian painter and the political experiences that shaped her work.