
Why The Future Of Publishing May Be Written Beyond The English-Speaking World
What Happened?
The Sharjah International Book Fair highlights a shift in publishing, with deals bypassing English to connect diverse languages. This trend reflects a growing global literary landscape.
Key points
- The Sharjah International Book Fair features 1.7 million titles and 3,212 publishers from 126 countries.
- Nermin Mollaoğlu secured a deal for a Turkish novel to be published in Serbian without English involvement.
- Al Arabi Publishing sold Serbian rights to an Arab feminist study, while Filipino titles were translated into Arabic.
- The Sharjah Book Authority invests $300,000 annually in translation grants, supporting 154 titles this year.
- Indian authors like Geetanjali Shree and Banu Mushtaq have gained international recognition, but Indian languages are not featured in the current grant.
Key insights
- The trend of bypassing English may empower local publishers and authors in non-English speaking regions.
- Increased translation funding could lead to a richer global literary exchange.
- The success of Indian authors in international awards highlights the potential for more diverse literary representation.
Why it matters
This shift in publishing could open new avenues for diverse voices and literature from non-English speaking countries.
Source
Times Now


