In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Culture, and the Italian Ambassador to Qatar, the Publication and Translation Administration launched two new books yesterday. The two books, both of which are translated from Italian into Arabic, are The Cake from the Sky, translated by Samar Al-Shishkali, and Funny Stories, translated by Muawiya Abdul Majeed. The books were published under the direction of Sheikha Rashida Al-Kuwwari, Director of the Translation Department. The two books are the beginning of a collaborative effort between the Italian Embassy and the Ministry of Culture in translation. Both books, which target children aged 10-15, are by famous Italian children’s literature writer Gianni Rodari.
Sheikha Rashida Al-Kuwwari, Director of the Publication and Translation Administration’s Translation Department at the Ministry of Culture emphasized that the publication of the two books in Arabic translation is a major cultural event that comes as part of the Ministry’s recent efforts to support cultural exchange and to learn about other cultures’ creative production. The Ministry of Culture’s exhibit at the book fair includes many books translated into Arabic, English, French, Spanish, and Turkish.
Concerning new initiatives at the book fair, Mohammed Hassan Al-Kuwwari, Director of the Publication and Translation Administration, commented that the Ministry’s exhibit is one of the largest at the fair. Half the exhibit is dedicated to digital boxes that allow visitors to browse books digitally. This way, visitors can choose whether they prefer to browse paper books or digital ones. He added that the Ministry made sure that the exhibit includes a wide range of genres, as it offers non-fiction and literary books, including novels and poetry collections. Al-Kuwwari concluded his remarks by noting that digital books are the focus for this year, and visitors can download an entire library of over 250 books.