The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi)has held the inaugural committee meeting of its ‘One Hundred and One Books’ project, which aims to create a list of the most prominent Arabic books.
The first meeting took place to nominate the literary critics who will work on the criteria and methodology for selection of the Arabic novels. These criteria will be then used to ensure that the listen compasses the major transformations in this literary genre by reflecting all its cognitive and aesthetic dimensions.
The One Hundred and One Books project will develop a reliable and accredited list of the Arabic books that have enriched culture, while providing detailed information about their authors and topics. It also aims to promote Arab literary works and celebrate its most prominent authors and writers, in addition to creating a reliable reference source for researchers with an interest in Arabic literature.
The meeting was chaired by HE Dr Ali Bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC, and attended by Dr Salah Fadl, the committee rapporteur, Dr Muhsin Al-Musawi, Dr Abdullah Al-Ghadami, Dr Paula Santillán and Dr Khalil Al-Sheikh.
“We at the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre are fully committed to this concerted effort to coordinate the different stages of the One Hundred and One Books project,” said HE Dr Bin Tamim.“The two-pronged methodology will also help us in promoting the Arabic language by highlighting its creative features, while providing a wealth of information that can serve as an evidence-based reference for researchers, or a reliable guide for readers wishing to peruse a selection of the most prominent Arabic novels.
“We look forward to completing the first phase of the project, which will feature a list of 101 Arab novels and, because of its importance as a tool for promoting Arab literature and culture, we aim to add more nominations to this list in the future.”
The One Hundred and One Books list will be made available to the public before the end of 2021.
