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Frontlist | International literary agency to promote Arab authors by Sharjah

Frontlist | International literary agency to promote Arab authors by Sharjah
on Nov 03, 2020

Sharjah on Monday announced plans to launch an international literary agency to represent Arab authors by selling rights of their works to overseas publishers and TV and movie studios. The Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has unveiled the Sharjah International Literary Agency (SILA), the first-of-its-kind literary agency in the UAE and the region, which aims to facilitate communication among publishers, authors, translators and creatives. According to state news agency WAM , SILA will play a vital role in ensuring that the rights of publishers and writers alike are protected, in addition to stimulating the Arabic publishing market by promoting Arabic literary and cultural content globally.

SILA also seeks to cement Sharjah’s cultural presence on regional and global platforms and will aims to discover young creative talents, as well as offering consultative and financial support to authors and creators. Arab publishers who own the translations and media adaptation rights for their list of authors will also be represented by the entity, WAM said, adding that the agency will function as a sub-agent to publishers and literary agents seeking to sell translations rights of their foreign language authors to Arab publishers. Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, chairman of SBA, said: The book industry is an integral pillar of Sharjah’s cultural project. The launch of SILA reinforces SBA’s commitment to support the industry locally and regionally, and actively promote the role of books, writers and creatives in society. He added that under Sharjah’s cultural project, which commenced more than 40 years ago, hundreds of Arab writers have participated in literary activities, leading to a fruitful exchange of ideas and expertise and uplifting the cultural scene in the emirate. Established in December 2014, SBA is dedicated to encouraging investment in the creative industries and facilitating knowledge and intellectual exchange between people from different cultures.