Cairo, Jan. 29 (Petra) – Jordan continues its active participation in the Cairo International Book Fair in Egypt, with a strong public turnout at the pavilions of the 20 Jordanian publishing houses taking part in the fair’s 57th edition.
Director of Studies and Publishing and Director of the Family Library at the Ministry of Culture Salem Daham said the ministry is participating with a pavilion featuring hundreds of titles across several publishing series, reflecting the diversity of Jordan’s cultural scene and its wide range of creative and intellectual fields.
He said the pavilion includes publications from the Narrative and Poetry Series, which focuses on Jordanian literary production, including poetry, short stories, novels, plays, biographies, place-based writings, and visual arts, in addition to studies on Jordanian literature by non-Jordanian researchers.
Daham added that the pavilion also showcases intellectual publications under the Thought and Knowledge Series, which specializes in rigorous academic studies in the humanities and social sciences, including history, sociology, folklore, mythology, and political studies.
He noted that the ministry has allocated a dedicated philosophy series, reflecting its belief in the role of philosophy in guiding thought and developing critical thinking based on dialogue and reasoning, with content presented in an accessible style suitable for non-specialist readers.
As part of efforts to distribute the benefits of cultural development across the Kingdom, Daham said the ministry is participating through the "Cities of Culture" series, which publishes selected manuscripts from districts winning the annual Culture Districts competition. He noted that approximately 25 titles are published annually under this program and form the basis for cultural activities throughout the year.
Children and young adults are also a key focus through the "My Passion" series, which includes illustrated, age-appropriate books in both form and content. He added that this approach aligns with the ministry’s emphasis on children’s culture, supported by the establishment of a dedicated directorate under its new organizational structure. The ministry has also launched the "First Book" series to support emerging creative talents who have not previously published and demonstrate promising potential.
Daham said the Family Library series remains one of the ministry’s most prominent publishing initiatives participating in the exhibition. He noted that it is supervised by a high committee of senior scholars and intellectuals and aims to provide knowledge-based content suitable for Jordanian families across age groups. The series issues around 60 titles annually in various fields, welcomes authors from different countries, gives special attention to Jordanian writers, and adheres to copyright and related rights legislation.
//Petra// AJ
