The 31^st edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair concluded with a book launch by the Ministry of Culture. The book entitled ‘Texts in a Time of Solitude: Writings of Hope During the Pandemic’ is a literary initiative by the Ministry on the occasion of the UAE Writer's Day 2021 which falls on May 26 every year. The Ministry invited UAE-based Arab and Emirati writers and poets to participate in the initiative, which was carried out in cooperation with the UAE Writers’ Union and the United Publishing.

The initiative focused on how literary and creative writing helped in recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic and the role of culture in bringing people closer together and promoting solidarity and people-to-people contact. The initiative spotlighted literary production on the subject of the pandemic and capturing the various experiences and emotions that the pandemic brought about among people.

The book was launched during a session held in the UAE Writer’s Union stand at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, in the presence of the President of the Board of the UAE Writers’ Union Sultan Al Amimi, during a panel discussion with Khaled Al-Badour, Najiba Rifai and Abdullah Al Hadeyah, and moderated by the poet Amal Ismail. All the panelists contributed creative texts in the book. The book was published in two parts, with the first part dedicated to poetry, featuring eloquent poetry, Nabati (popular), freestyle poetry and prose poems, while the second part was devoted to the art of the short and very short story writing.

The book contains works of 38 poets contributed to the book, who presented 29 eloquent poems and nine Nabati poems, while 20 writers contributed the prose including story to open text.  The book culminates in a critical reading of the pandemic, which deals with pandemic that have ravaged humanity over time, giving a gist of the experience of creators from around the world.

The book features names of some of the prominent Emirati creators such as Dr. Manaa Saeed Al Otaiba, Ali Abu Al Reesh, Dr. Shihab Al Ghanem, Dr. Aref Al Sheikh, Dr. Basma Yusuf, Ali Al Khawar, Khalil Aylaboni, Hassan Al Obaidli, Mubarak Al Oud Al Ameri and many others, as well as resident creators such as Dr. Bahija Idlibi, Sameh Kawash and Dr. Haitham al-Khawaja.

While presenting the book, H.E. Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, stressed the ministry's keenness to be the main driver to foster a cultural environment in the UAE. She stressed that under the guidance of the UAE’s wise leadership, the country has provided a conducive infrastructure and legislative framework to support the cultural sector and motivate creative people. Launching initiatives and programmes to showcase their work globally, enhances the cultural achievements of the country making it an incubator for creativity and creators.

Her Excellency stressed that the Ministry continued to support creatives, writer and poets during the pandemic when their cultural, artistic and literary production played a key role in uplifting people suffering from isolation. She highlighted the role of culture in bringing people closer, and promoting solidarity in societies.

Speaking about the book, Her Excellency said: "’Texts in a Time of Solitude’ highlights the transformations and challenges brought about by the pandemic due to social distancing and challenges imposed by the pandemic. The book spreads hope and joy about life by way of poetry, prose and stories, reflecting the ability of writers to give shape to ideas and influence human experience. This book celebrates writers and their creativity and fills us with hope that culture and creativity are thriving despite the challenges.”

President of the Board of the UAE Writers’ Union Sultan Al Amimi said: “The Emirates Writers Union is proud of this collaboration with the Ministry of Culture. The book is a testimony to human creativity in expressing its resilience in the face of the pandemic and social distancing imposed by it in the past two years. The book will go down in history as proof of the role of literature in spreading hope for a better tomorrow for all of humanity despite the challenges.”