Khalifa Al-Waqian: Personality of the 49th Kuwait Book Fair

The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters has selected writer and poet Dr. Khalifa Al-Waqian as the personality of the 49th edition of the Kuwait International Book Fair, in recognition of his contributions to Kuwait’s cultural and intellectual movement. In a post on its social media accounts, the Council stated that Al-Waqian is a poet, critic, and thinker, and one of the most prominent cultural voices in Kuwait, having contributed to the development of the country’s cultural and intellectual landscape, with a broad institutional and intellectual footprint.

The 49th edition will take place from November 18 to 28 at the International Exhibition Grounds in the Mishref area, under the slogan “We Read… We Rise,” with participation from 592 entities representing 34 Arab and foreign countries. The fair features 248,094 titles, including 22,772 new titles for 2026. Kuwaiti publications account for 13,530 titles, of which 1,546 are new. Children’s books comprise 42,205 titles, including 3,042 new ones, offering diverse options for various ages and interests.