QNA
Doha
A number of officials of the Qatari public and private publishing houses confirmed that the houses were able, in just a few years, to register their fingerprints in the publishing industry and the world of culture, and contribute to the promotion of the cultural movement in the country.
They stressed that the Qatari publishing houses, have assumed a prominent position in this field, as a result of the selection of purposeful contents, good directing and luxurious printing of the publications, as well as the diversity of intellectual, scientific and literary content, leading to children’s literature and other books to register a strong presence in Arab and international book fairs.
The Director of Katara Publishing House Sheikha Shaikha bint Hamad Al Thani said that the establishment of Katara Publishing House in 2018 embodied a pioneering step within the framework of the Katara Cultural Village Foundation’s strategy to disseminate distinguished Qatari creations in culture, heritage and arts, adding that the house was a qualitative addition to the printing and publishing movement in the State of Qatar, the Qatari cultural book industry, and the service of creators by adopting their books, research and creative texts, and publishing, distributing and introducing them through participation in international book fairs inside and outside Qatar.
She explained that the publications of the house received attention and demand due to its adoption of the highest quality standards, including production, printing and distribution. It was also characterized by diversity in cultural production, as it included documentary and heritage works, fictional works and critical studies, especially the winner of the Katara Prize for Arabic Fiction.
She added that Katara Publishing House, along with other publishing houses, contributed to enhancing the cultural scene, by adopting and publishing the production of creators and their valuable research and studies with the aim of enriching the movement of authoring, publishing and the book industry, through consistent efforts with Katara’s mission to support talents and encourage them to write, research, author and create, and enhance knowledge and intellectual production.
She noted the increase in the houses publications, in terms of literary works, documentary books, heritage and scientific works, novel works, and critical studies that won the Katara Prize for Arabic Fiction during its related sessions, and cultural magazines published in English that specialize in horses and children.
She noted that the house, through its continuous participation in the Doha International Book Fair and Gulf and Arab book fairs, has strengthened its position in the Qatari and Arab cultural scene through its publications in Arabic, English and French, which meet the desires of the culture audience.
For her part, the Director of Research Projects at Qatar University Press Reem Mohsen Al-Athba, said that the publishing house represents one of the most important strategic initiatives of Qatar University, embodies its mission, and is a scientific tributary for various national institutions, and a qualitative step in building a knowledge society, explaining that the publishing house since its establishment in 2018 adopts a policy based on the latest performance indicators and quality standards in the world of academic publishing.
She pointed out that the Qatar University Press highlighted, through a package of publications, the national identity and the country’s tourist and environmental attractions, and was distinguished by its diversity and richness as it included Islamic studies, law, history, culture, heritage, politics, literature and linguistics, medicine and engineering, translation works, encyclopedic works, forum and conference proceedings, a series of textbooks, a series of country studies, and a series of scientific theses.
For his part, the Executive Director of Hamad Bin Khalifa University Publishing House Bashar Shabaro, spoke in an exclusive statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) about the house’s interest in publishing novels and biographies for adults, stories for adolescents and children, in addition to educational books for schools, academic books for universities and researchers, and information books.
For her part, the CEO of Rosa Publishing House Dr. Aisha Jassim Al-Kuwari, saidthat the house, since its establishment in 2017, has worked to achieve a set of goals, the most important of which is encouraging Qatari authors, as new names have emerged in the world of writing and creativity with the establishment of the house, such as the writer Omar Al-Mir, whose publication at the Kuwait Fair won the best-selling book in 2019, the writer Mohamed Al-Marri, the writer Maitha Sultan, and others.
For his part, Ibrahim Al-Buhashim Al-Sayed, founder and director of Dar Al-Watad for Books and Publications and Vice-President of the Arab Publishers Associations, said the house, which was established in 2017, sets its sights on serving writers and readers in Qatar, in addition to encouraging young authors. It aspires to present everything that interests the reader in terms of useful material and appropriate output.
For her part, writer Asma Abdul-Latif Al-Kuwari, Director of Nabja Printing and Publishing specialized in children’s literature, said Nabja House is considered the first specialized house for children’s literature in Qatar, emphasizing the keenness of the house to distinguish the quality of the publications to be an addition to the world of the child and society. She said children’s books presented by the house reflect the values that the child should be brought up on, taking from the Qatari environment and the Qatari heritage the real basis for presenting its products, as the publications target the age group from 3 years to 15 years.