The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is not solely the domain of published authors.
The event – at the Dubai InterContinental Festival City from March 3 to 7 – also offers a rare chance for aspiring authors to shine courtesy of its Montegrappa First Fiction Competition.
The annual contest, which returns this year for its third edition, aims to unearth the next wave of talent from the region.
Writers have until January 11 to submit their entries for a chance to win a trip to the London Book Fair in April for a lunch meeting with the renowned literary agent and competition judge, Luigi Bonomi.
Launched in 2013, the competition already boasts an enviable success rate, with two of the authors who took part securing multi-book publishing deals.
“I have never known a competition to deliver so many talented writers and to have had such publishing success,” says Bonomi.
“I also think the UAE community and the festival itself is a wonderful melting pot of cultures and traditions. It is no surprise to me that, in such an evocative setting where unexpected encounters spark genuine creativity, great new authors are born.”
How it works
The competition focuses on novels rather than short stories. So if you already have ideas plotted, the competition is a perfect opportunity to flesh them out. Entrants need to submit a synopsis and 2,000 words of a manuscript, which will be read by Bonomi. The winner will be announced at a special ceremony during the book festival.
Meet the agent
The London-based Bonomi has been discovering new authors for years in his role as an editorial director for publishers Harlequin Mills, Boon and Penguin Books, before becoming a literary agent and setting up his own agency, LBA, in 2005.
“I must have read literally thousands of novels and yet I still feel a tingle down my spine when I read something that stands out,” he says.
“You can sense it from almost the first few pages – it’s the tone and the atmosphere that grips me, the fluid confidence of the writing. It makes me want to put everything aside and read that novel there and then, and then contact the author. It’s a truly wonderful feeling.”
Bonomi advises entrants to follow their muse and not submit entries based purely on commercial appeal.
“I am looking for originality, something that doesn’t mirror what others are doing but takes an original twist and runs on from there,” he states.
“I am looking for atmospheric writing that isn’t formulaic but is gripping, with a plot that captures your imagination.”
Dusting off old tales
The launch of the competition in 2013 inspired Annabel Kantaria to revisit a former work. The Dubai writer had started writing a psychological thriller, The Marmalade Murders, before setting it aside, half-finished, five years ago.
“I though the chance to really sit down with a top literary agent was a great opportunity,” she says. “So I went back to the story and worked hard and polished it to make it the best that it could possible be.”
Her efforts paid off and she was named the winner of the inaugural competition, going on to secure a three-book deal with the publisher Harlequin.
She recalls her experience working with Bonomi as nurturing yet direct. “He told me I had the talent, but I had to rethink the plot,” she says. “He wanted to make it bigger, stronger and universal. So I took his advice and I frantically replanned the novel.”
The end result is her debut thriller, Coming Home, which still contains elements of The Marmalade Murders. It is due to be published by May.
Find the time
For Dubai writer Rachel Hamilton, competing in the First Fiction Competition was a natural progression.
“I have been coming to the festival every year, helping out here and there and taking writing courses,” she says. “So when they announced there was a competition, it just felt like the next step.”
Hamilton's children's book, The Case of the Exploding Loo, finishing as runner-up in 2013.
The witty story convinced Bonomi to take her on as a client and she subsequently landed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster.
Hamilton will return to this year’s book festival with a new book and will host a session discussing her burgeoning career.
“My advice to people is to just enter and do it,” she says.
“I honestly thought I had no chance but I thought to myself, what is there to lose?
“I think that if you have book stored in that computer or shoved in that cupboard, to take it out, work on it and enter it.
“For those who are saying I would love to write but I don’t have the time, well my advice is to just get up half an hour earlier and write. Start from there.”
• For more information on the First Fiction Competition go to www.emirateslitfest.com
sasaeed@thenational.ae
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html" charset="UTF-8" /></head><body><!--PSTYLE=* Labels%3aFH Label 18 Sport--><p>Beach soccer</p><!--PSTYLE=BY Byline--><p>Amith Passela</p><p /></body></html>
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
RESULTS
2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi
4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
PRISCILLA
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