Emirates Airline is bringing International Festival of Literature to Dubai, it was announced at London Book Fair.

Some of the world’s most creative literary talent will write a new chapter in the inspirational story of Dubai when the city hosts the inaugural Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature (EAIFL), the airline said in a statement.

Authors confirmed to speak at the festival include celebrated writer Paolo Coelho, English adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Second Children’s Laureate Anne Fine, with acclaimed children’s writers Lynne Truss, Jeremy Strong and Lauren Child, it added.

Other participating authors will be household names in genres such as fiction, children’s, lifestyle and sport.

Dubai Cultural Council is also supporting the Festival and will help attract leading authors, poets and translators from the Arab World.

The inaugural festival will take place in Dubai from February 25-March 1, 2009 - the first event of its kind on this scale to be held in the Middle East.

EAIFL will be an annual event, bringing together people of all nationalities and cultures to celebrate literature and reading in all its forms.

EAIFL is directed by Isobel Abulhoul, Director of Magrudy’s, the region’s leading chain of bookshops, and London bookshop Foyles vice-chairman Bill Samuel.

“This festival is the first of its kind in the Middle East to provide a showcase for authors from the region, as well as bringing internationally bestselling writers to a new audience,” said Abulhoul.

'One of the roles of the airline, from its start-up, has been to promote Dubai as a tourist and commercial destination; we believe EAIFL will help strengthen the literary scene in Dubai, as well as attract visitors from all over the world,' said Mike Simon, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications.

A key part of the festival will be Education Day. Some of the authors attending the festival are expected to give lectures or talks to students at universities, colleges and schools in Dubai, the airline said. – TradeArabia News Service