The Beirut Arab International Book Fair has opened its doors on Thursday after a three-year hiatus. Although its 62nd and last edition took place in 2018, this didn’t help keep it out of the Lebanese disputes. Publishers were divided; some believed Beirut needs some hope and everyone should defy the current circumstances, while others thought the timing is not good and it would be better to wait until its annual date, in December. However, the Arab Cultural Club, the association behind the fair, decided to hold an event now, and another in December because ‘the long absence serves no one.’
For the first time, the Beirut Arab International Book Fair is missing prominent publishing houses including Dar Al Adab, Dar Al Saqi, the Arab Scientific Publishers, Dar Al Jadeed, Hachette Antoine, Dar Al Tanweer, and Al Mada Publisher. However, the absence of ‘whales’ could be beneficial for the small publishing houses, said Dr. Abdulhalim Hammoud, founder of Dar Zamakan, referring to the large, prominent publishers. Hammoud sees this fair as an opportunity the new publishing houses could use to meet the readers without competition. “Our house has five signing events and displays new books including one about Fairuz and another about Ziad Rahbani. Each one of the partaking publishers has six to ten signing events as well,” he said. “The fair could be seen as a failure because of the hard situation in the country. But we think differently. A three-year hiatus means piles of new titles, warehouses full of books printed before the crisis and the devaluation of the local currency, and sales for affordable prices. It's’ a great opportunity for publishers seeking to boost their sales. Our house partakes in the fair with four new novels, and we plan to sell the book for 100,000 LBP (around $5) while other houses are selling the book for 200,000 LBP (around $10)”.
Inspired by the hard situation the country is currently living in, this year’s edition is dubbed “Beirut of Resistance…Beirut never Falls.” However, Suleiman Bakhti, owner of Dar Nelson, describes it as the ‘fair of challenge’ and ‘exploration.’ “We lost contact with the reading audience. It’s been a long time; things have changed, and this concerns me as a person interested in cultural affairs. We are seeing withdrawals from the industry, while our mission is to create more interaction through books, theater, and music. This year, we don’t want people to buy, but they must come, meet us, and leave their burdens behind. Following the economic collapse, the Beirut blast, the pandemic, and all the disasters we lived over the past two years, all we really want is to see people standing on their feet again,” Bakhti explained.
The past editions of the Beirut Arab International Book Fair were held at the Seaside Arena, in the heart of Beirut, in a 10,000 square meter hall which was destroyed by the blast on August 4, 2020. The venue was partly renovated, so the fair will be held over a 4,000 square meter space this year. There is a promise that the entire hall will be renovated by the end of the year, and the next date of the exhibition.
Jihad Chebaro, the owner of the Arab Scientific Publishers that declined to partake in the fair, believes such an event cannot be held in the current circumstances. “The venue and the parking lots are not ready yet, and most publishers and the Syndicate of Publishers Union refused to participate, so we didn’t want to oppose this decision. We wanted the fair to happen on its annual date because we didn’t want a failed event, and we were ready to participate with affordable prices,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Rasha al-Amir, the owner of Al Jadeed Publishing, who also refused to partake, wrote on Facebook: “Dar Al Jadeed, which partook in this fair since its establishment, decided to step back this year. We write on our website for free. We publish our works on Amazon for those who can buy books through this comfortable means. We believe book fairs have become a sort of showoff. This kind of demonstration is not among our priorities anymore.”
However, readers have another opinion. Many have applauded the decision to resume the Beirut Arab International Book Fair on social media.
For her part, Salwa Siniora Baassiri, head of the Arab Culture Club, said the organization of the exhibition today is “a cultural awakening call for the Lebanese capital which never gives up.” “People can create the suitable circumstances if they want to. It’s up to us to choose to surrender or to survive. If we have the will, we can definitely stand again,” she said.
“We must not leave books alone. This fair is ours; we can make it succeed or fail. With all my respect to those who refused to partake, I was hoping everyone could engage. We will be there, bearing the high costs. We are experiencing a new situation, but if we don’t hold this event, something will be missing. We want to survive, and culture is a key feature of life,” said Bakhti.
The fair faces many challenges this year, but the Arab Cultural Club and the partaking publishers are making huge efforts to make a successful event.
Schools won’t be partaking this time because of costly transportation. Many publishing houses suffered to find affordable shelves to display their books, and the organizers have been dealing with obstacles they never faced before.
Daily activities scheduled during the event will host many prominent artists and academics like Heba al-Kawas and Zahi Wehbi in a dialogue between poetry and music on March 4. The program also features a musical evening dubbed “On Route of Poetry from Tripoli to Beirut,” and a day to celebrate the Ukrainian culture. Algerian novelists Wasini al-Aaraj, Intissar al-Wazir, Sakr Abu Fakhr, Fawaz Traboulsi, Yahya Jaber, and Yousef Bazzi, are also among the attendees.
This edition sees the participation of 90 publishing houses from Lebanon, in addition to publishers from Iraq, Syria, and Egypt. Over 30 activities will be held on the sidelines of the bookfair including cultural seminars, music concerts, and signing events.
The Beirut Arab International Book Fair was the first of its kind in the Arab world. Organized by the Arab Cultural Club, it debuted in 1956, at the American University of Beirut. Then, it has become an annual cultural event that lures readers and publishers alike. The current edition will run until March 13.
