Emirates_Airline_Festival_of_Literature
Tony Blair's memoir, The Journey, to be published in September
The memoirs of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be published in September, it was announced today by Gail Rebuck, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Random House Group. Tony Blair: The Journey will be published in the UK by Hutchinson and simultaneously in the United States by Knopf and Canada by Knopf Canada.
In 1997, Tony Blair won the biggest Labour victory in history to sweep the party to power and end 18 years of Conservative government. He has been one of the most dynamic leaders of modern times; few British prime ministers have shaped the nation's course as profoundly as Tony Blair did, during his ten years in power. His achievements and his legacy will be debated for years to come. His memoirs reveal in intimate detail this unique political and personal journey and provide an insight into the man, the politician and the statesman, charting successes, controversies and disappointments with an extraordinary candour. They will prove essential and compulsive reading for anyone who wants to understand the complexities of our global world.
“Tony Blair's The Journey will break new ground in prime ministerial memoirs just as Blair himself broke the mould of British politics,” said Rebuck. “His book is frank, open, revealing and written in an intimate and accessible style. As an account of the nature and uses of power, it will have a readership that extends well beyond politics, to all those who want to understand the challenge of leadership in today’s world.”
Tony Blair says: “I have really enjoyed the writing of the book. I have tried to write a book which describes the human as much as the political dimensions of life as Prime Minister. Though necessarily retrospective, it is an attempt to inform and shape current and future thinking as much as an historical account of the past. Most of all I want readers to have as much pleasure reading it as I had writing it.”
“Tony Blair is an extremely popular figure in North America,” said Sonny Mehta, his US publisher. “His memoir is refreshing, both for its candour and vivid portrayal of political life. We all knew Blair was an extraordinary statesman and gifted thinker. We can now add exceptional writer to that list.”
Hutchinson will publish Tony Blair: The Journey in hardback, priced £25.00 with a simultaneous edition available as an eBook and in audio, read by Mr Blair. Knopf and Knopf Canada will publish their hardcover editions of Tony Blair: The Journey simultaneously with Hutchinson. Knopf will also publish an eBook and audio read by the author. Translation rights have been sold in twelve territories worldwide and Mr Blair will embark on a national and international author tour immediately upon release of the book.
Hutchinson is an imprint of The Random House Group in the UK; Alfred A. Knopf is one of the flagship imprints of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. in the US.; Knopf Canada is an imprint of Random House of Canada. Random House is owned by Bertelsmann AG, the international media company. The Office of Tony Blair
World Book Day
DUBAI, U.A.E., 4th March, 2010 - To celebrate World Book Day, Emirates took thousands of travellers on a literary journey by orchestrating a mass book sharing initiative across its global network of more than 100 destinations.
Lucky passengers on board every Emirates flight departing the airline's Dubai hub today were presented a novel as part of the annual drive to encourage the joy of reading and promote literacy.
Cabin crew were integral to the operation, with more than 1000 of them arriving for duty with a stack of books written by authors who are part of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, running from 10th to 13th March.
Starting with the one am flight to Bahrain, they distributed books on more than 150 aircraft, until the last flight to depart Dubai on World Book Day - a Boeing 777 to Bangkok at 11pm.
Cabin crew also had the honour of telling passengers about the Emirates Literary Journey, explaining to readers that they were just taking the book on the first leg of its trip, and that they should pass it on to friend, family member, colleague or even a stranger in a café or metro station.
Instructions are also printed on the inside cover of each book, which includes a table for each reader to fill in the details which will track each stage of the book's ongoing journey, such as their name, and where and when they picked it up and then handed it on.
In addition, each book has an individual serial number and readers are encouraged to log on to the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature website - emirateslitfest.com/literaryjourney - to share their views on the initiative, as well as comments on the novel they read.
Terry Daly - Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Service Delivery - oversaw the complex plan which will see both Arabic and English-language authors reaching new audiences across the world.
He said: "It is incredible to think that our cabin crew today will be spreading the joy of reading to every corner of the globe. Emirates is proud that - through our staff - the World Book Day message of promoting literacy and the joy of reading will be delivered to almost 60 different countries."
More than 20 titles - by leading international authors such as Kate Mosse and R.J Ellory, as well as top regional writers like Bahaa Taher and Maha Gargash - were also distributed at 26 Emirates lounges across the world, while many customers at Costa Coffee shops throughout Dubai also received a copy.
In addition, novels were given to guests at the Emirates Group's eco-friendly conservation-based destinations - Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai and Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa in Australia - while there will be some unexpected half-time reading material for lucky football and rugby fans attending forthcoming Arsenal and Emirates Western Force matches.
The celebration of books will continue next week when the 2010 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature - running from Wednesday until Saturday - gets under way at the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City.
And festival director Isobel Abulhoul is delighted readers across the world are already taking part in the event being held under the patronage of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.
She said: "One of our main objectives in setting up the festival has been to encourage as many people as possible to experience the joy of the written word in all its forms. What better way to do this than with a global book drop.
"The thought that people - from Los Angeles to Tokyo to Sydney - will have the opportunity to participate in our festival via Emirates' global reach is truly exciting and inspiring. This is exactly what the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is supposed to be about."
The publishing community has been generous in its support of the initiative and - together with Emirates - donated the collection of titles, many of which are bestsellers or have won awards.
Lonely Planet
MARCH 01, 2010
>> Get snap happy for spring
With spring just around the corner (hopefully!) there isn’t a better time to be getting out and about with your camera for some beautiful shots.
Lonely Planet’s ‘100 millionth book’ celebratory competition is now in full swing with over 10,000 images and captions received so far worldwide. The competition is running until mid June 2010 so there is still plenty of time to get your picture uploaded at:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/win/
Prizes on offer include one of 200 Nokia handsets worth $800 each and the 1st place winner will be celebrating with a round-the-world trip for two. So go get snapping!
If you’d like more info please contact: heather.carswell@lonelyplanet.co.uk
>> Birmingham - your life starts here
Lonely Planet have teamed up with Student Birmingham and the city’s universities to create ‘Birmingham: Your Life Starts Here’ for prospective students. The 96-page booklet contains everything students need to know about life in the city from where to bag a bargain, get a culture fix or bite to eat. It also has hints and tips from current students and graduates, including BCU graduate Jabbar Khan, MD of Lasan restaurant, the winner of Channel 4’s F-Word.
We’ve printed 175,000 copies of the guide which will be distributed from 1st of March to help new and potential students on their way.
If you’d like more info please contact: angela.wilkinson@lonelyplanet.co.uk
>> Lonely Planet is voted top guidebook series!
With a very respectable 79.16%, Lonely Planet won the Gold Award for ‘Guidebook Series of the Year 2010’ as voted by the readers of Wanderlust magazine. Lonely Planet was presented with this prestigious award after over 2,000 readers rated each guidebook series on satisfaction.
If you’d like more info please contact: angela.wilkinson@lonelyplanet.co.uk
March releases
We can provide gratis copies of lonely planet titles for review or recommendation
Cover images are also available for new releases
For more information please contact: pressenq@lonelyplanet.co.uk
>> Where it all began
When Tony and Maureen Wheeler first set out in mid-1972 with the intention of getting the travel bug out of their systems, who would have thought that nearly 40 years later they are now publishing the 15th edition of their first guide and still living the dream. This month sees the 15th edition of Southeast Asia on a Shoestring published which is designed to help travelers, like the Wheelers, make the most of their money in an amazing part of the world.
For more information on the Wheeler’s story, please contact: vicky.bull@lonelyplanet.co.uk
>> MARCH RELEASES
BEIJING ENCOUNTER 2nd edition £7.99
DIVING & SNORKELLING PHILIPPINES 2nd edition £14.99
GERMANY 6th edition £16.99
GREECE 9th edition £16.99
GREEK ISLANDS 6th edition £14.99
GREEK PHRASEBOOK 4th edition £4.99
ISRAEL & THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES 6th edition £15.99
MONTREAL & QUEBEC CITY 2nd edition £13.99
THE NETHERLANDS 4th edition £14.99
SHANGHAI ENCOUNTER 2nd edition £7.99
SOUTH AMERICA ON A SHOESTRING 11th edition £21.99
SOUTHEAST ASIA ON A SHOESTRING 15th edition £16.99
SOUTHERN AFRICA 5th edition £19.99
USA 6th edition £17.99
ZAMBIA & MALAWI 1st edition £17.99
Lonely Planet Magazine: March issue
>> 10 Easy Trips – Short-break ideas for this month; the striking hilltop town of Erice in Sicily; Valencia’s fiery festival; vineyards and olives of Alentejo, Portugal; Greenwich Naval College, London; cookery lessons at La Cuisine Paris, France; and many more (page 23)
>> The Perfect Trip, Australia’s Great Ocean Road – In the first of Lonely Planet Magazine’s The Perfect Trip series, Lonely Planet guidebook author Meg Worby creates the perfect itinerary (page 38)
>> Kate Humble – Follow the Springwatch presenter as she walks through her most reinvigorating British wildernesses (page 99)
Lonely Planet Magazine: 1st French Edition
Lonely Planet Magazine is proud to announce that it will now be published in France from the 3rd March 2010. In partnership with Paperbox, it will have print run of 80,000 and a cover price of €4,90. This will be the third international edition of Lonely Planet Magazine, including Brazil and India, since the title launched in the UK in December 2008.
Programme unveiled for ‘bigger and better’
Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
Tickets now on sale!
· 100 authors
· 50 per cent more sessions
· Arabic interest sessions doubled to 20
· 4 sessions dedicated to Emirati writers and writing
· Children’s programme tripled
· New musical strands, workshops and cookery demonstrations
1 February 2010, Dubai, UAE: A packed 2010 Festival programme, bursting with author sessions, workshops and entertainment for adults, children and teens was unveiled today by organisers of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. Tickets for this not-to-be-missed event, go on sale today! Taking place from March 10th-13th at the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City, the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature offers a unique opportunity to meet more than 100 celebrated authors from around the world. The Festival is held under the patronage of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture).
Tickets for the fun-packed Festival are priced from AED 39 and can be purchased from selected Magrudy’s outlets in the UAE or from the Festival’s official website- www.emirateslitfest.com. As a community event, many of the Festival attractions will be free, including the Fringe Festival, the Fringe Parade and a Time Out Kids Zone.
Commenting on the enthusiastic response to the 2010 Festival, Festival Director Isobel Abulhoul, said: “We’ve built on the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the inaugural Festival from the community, with more authors, an expanded programme and a greater range of activities. The Festival’s line-up includes something for everyone - stimulating workshops, readings, entertainment, chill-out zones, a children’s activity area and a free Fringe Festival showcasing local talent. The Festival will bring together thousands of people from across the UAE and throughout the region who enjoy discussion, debating ideas or simply having a great day out.”
The 2010 programme will be launched in two phases. Today’s phase includes the full children’s programme plus selected highlights from the main programme for adults. Tickets for all workshops are also now available for purchase from today.
Phase 1 – Main Programme Selected Highlights
Day 1 (Wednesday 10th March)
The 2010 Festival will open with a session on ‘Emerging Emirati Writers’ followed by the launch of Khaled Al Budoor’s collection of historic Emirati, poetry going back to the 1800’s, entitled Looking Back with Love. Other highlights for day will include the appearance of two International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) winners, Youssef Ziedan and Bahaa Taher. Day one will culminate with an eagerly anticipated session with Martin Amis who will be discussing his latest novel The Pregnant Widow.
Day 2 (Thursday 11th March)
The second day of the Festival will see Alexander McCall Smith (No 1 Ladies Detective Agency), author and jet-setting commentator Shobbha De, and renowned BBC broadcaster John Simpson take part in author sessions on a range of fascinating topics. Another highlight of Day two will be a session of Arabic poetry, which will see some of the most progressive and influential contemporary Arab poets (Amjad Nasser, Iman Mersal and Samer Abou Hawwash), taking the stage together.
Day 3 (Friday 12th March)
A stellar line-up will entertain Festival-goers on Day three. BBC broadcaster, Kate Adie, will delight audiences with anecdotes from her long and varied career. Fiction writers Chris Cleave, (The Other Hand), Vikas Swarup, (Slumdog Millionaire), Yann Martel (Life of Pi) and leading graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi, (Persepolis), will provide insights into their craft in a series of one-to-one conversations. With humour and insight, Imran Ahmad will discuss the personal challenges of getting published in a post 9-11 world. BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardiner will appearing via video link from London to discuss his new book Far Horizons. Indian novelist Amit Chaudhuri and local musicians will bring the evening to a close with a musical finale.
Day 4 (Saturday 13th March)
The momentum builds on Day four of the Festival with an ‘in conversation’ event with Wilfred Thesiger’s biographer, Alexander Maitland. Adding more flavour to the Festival will be a cookery demonstration of healthy Indian food by Anjum Anand, the new face of Indian cuisine. Wizards, warriors and agent legends will be the topic of Joe Abercrombie’s ‘in conversation’. For travel writing fans, Tim Butcher will describe his adventures in Africa which were the inspiration for the bestselling Blood River and his new novel Chasing the Devil. In their session, Nadia Fouda and Andy Smart will discuss the challenges of translating The Gruffalo from English into Arabic.
Programme for Children
Following feedback from the 2009 Festival, the Festival organisers have tripled the size of the 2010 children’s programme. All 17 sessions will run on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th March. Three mega-star writers - Jacqueline Wilson, Darren Shan and Garth Nix will wow older children. Roger McGough will delight younger children and their parents with his own brand of performance poetry. New for 2010 will be three children’s storytelling events in Arabic by Nadine Touma, Taghreed Najjar and Fatima Sharafeddine. There will also be a wonderful line-up of authors for pre-school and primary aged children including Polly Dunbar, Conn Iggulden, Oliver Jeffers, Julia Johnson, Caroline Lawrence, Michelle Paver, Tony Ross and Ian Whybrow. Gervase Phinn’s solo performance will delight adults and older children. Tickets for all children’s sessions are now available
Once again, simultaneous translation will be available for all author sessions.
New for 2010 – Workshops Programme
For the first time, the Festival will host a range of workshops for adults and children. Experts from around the world will provide master classes for adults in creative writing, drama and translation (Arabic to English). Children will be able to take part in creative writing, drama and illustration workshops. Tickets for all workshops are now available.
Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman, Emirates Airline and Group commented: “Based on the excellent response to the 2009 Festival, we are delighted to extend our enthusiastic support to the Festival this year. This is now a landmark event on Dubai’s cultural calendar for families, residents and expatriates from different cultures. It is a true celebration of the joy of reading books that gives us a glimpse into worlds other than our own.”
The free Fringe Festival, a key attraction of the four-day event, will take place on-site and is designed to act as a platform for Dubai’s young writers and performers to showcase their talent. Readings, singing and drama performances will make the Fringe Festival a memorable experience. Speaking of the wonderful events lined up for the 2010 Festival, Saeed Al Naboudah, Chief Projects Officer, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, said; “The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature involves the entire community and is an opportunity to understand the minds behind many of the books we have enjoyed reading and an occasion to celebrate the uniting spirit of literature. The event also encourages young aspiring writers and performers to showcase their talent and receive feedback on their skills from established authors and artists We need to talk about our mandate to establish Dubai as a “reading city” through the promotion of the public libraries & the role of the Authority in creating an environment in which culture & arts thrives and is accessible to all.”
Following last year’s success, the Festival will once again feature Education Day events, giving an opportunity for students from various institutions in the UAE to interact with Festival authors. The Education Days will be held at the Dubai Scientific and Cultural Association, Al Mamzar and in Dubai Public Library on March 10th and 11th.
Up-to-date information on the festival is available on www.emirateslitfest.com
About the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature:
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is a celebration of literature in all its forms. As the Middle East’s largest annual literary festival, it offers residents and overseas visitors the opportunity to meet famous authors, attend literary debates, listen to readings and participate in workshops. A key aim of the Festival is to encourage new and emerging talent and creativity within the region. Attendees can also enjoy the many free Fringe activities that are held as part of the festival. The 2010 Festival will take place from 10th to 13th March at the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City. Sign up to our newsletter on www.emirateslitfest.com
About Emirates:
Emirates is one of the fastest growing airlines in the world. With a fleet of 138 modern aircraft, it flies to more than 100 destinations across six continents. Emirates has won more than 400 international awards for its products and services and supports a wide range of sports and cultural activities around the world. It is proud to be the title sponsor for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.
About Dubai Culture & Arts Authority:
The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) was launched on March 8, 2008 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Dubai Culture plays a critical part in achieving the vision of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 of establishing the city as vibrant, global Arabian metropolis that shapes culture and arts in the region and the world. The organisation has announced several initiatives that strengthen the historic and modern cultural fabric of Dubai.
For general information on the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, please visit www.emirateslitfest.com
