Nadiya Hussain, Hazza Al Mansoori, Oliver Jeffers are just a few names heading to the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature next year…

Book lovers, take note: the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is returning for 2020 in February.

This time, the event will be an exciting five-day programme, held from Tuesday February 4 to Sunday February 9, 2020 at InterContinental Festival City. For 2020, the event will feature more than 130 sought-after international and local authors over the course of the five days.

Ziauddin Yousafzai, father of youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Malala, will be present at the Lit Fest with his wife, Toor Pekai Yousafzai to discuss his memoir Let Her Fly – a moving account of fatherhood and his lifelong fight for equality.

You will also hear from Major Hazza Al Mansoori, the UAE’s first astronaut, as he shares his experience and mission on board the International Space Station (ISS). He will be joined by fellow Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi and Salem AlMarri, Head of the UAE Astronaut Programme at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre.

Adam David Rutherford, British geneticist, author, and broadcaster will also be at the Lit Fest with his new book How to Argue with a Racist. He will be explaining how science and history can be powerful allies against racism.

There’s also plenty for the little ones as Nadiya Hussain will be returning to the festival with her latest picture book My Monster and Me – a book reassuring younger children who feel anxious. For a more lighthearted and magical time, Dubai-based Magic Phil will be conjuring up some super colourful storytelling at the festival.

There’s also a stellar line up of authors in the business, history, exploration, poetry and science field – so there’s something for everyone.

But that’s not all you’ll find at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. The festival also hosts a huge range of writing workshops and masterclasses, including sessions on creative writing, journalism, travel-writing, translation and how to get your novel published, and much more.

Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the festival aims to bring together people of all ages and backgrounds from all around the world to promote the love of reading, writing and great conversation.

Excited? Tickets go on sale on Thursday November 14, 2019 which will be available in this link here.

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, InterContinental, Dubai Festival City, February 4 to February 9, 2020, Tel: (04) 355 9844 emirateslitfest.com

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Images: provided