Every year, Abu Dhabi in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) selects individuals and organizations that have contributed to the development of Arab literature and culture to receive the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. The award is globally recognized for honoring a wide range of writers, critics, translators, researchers, and publishing professionals from around the world, and 2025 will mark its 19th anniversary. The award is divided into eight categories, including literature, translation, criticism, and editing, and this year's recipient of the "Best Cultural Figure Award" is Haruki Murakami, chosen as one of the most representative figures of the year.
Needless to say, Murakami is well known worldwide, and his works are also widely read in the Arab cultural sphere, and he was recognized for having "a global impact through literature written from an international and contemporary perspective." The award ceremony was held in Abu Dhabi on April 29, 2025, with Murakami in attendance, and he also gave a speech in person. Below are his acceptance speech.
On behalf of the organizers, Ali Bin Tamim, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, will explain the significance of the award. 
The winners of all eight categories will line up on stage. This year's winners came from Morocco, Lebanon, Italy, the UK, and other countries.
Haruki Murakami 's acceptance speech (full text)
"Receiving the UAE Sheikh Zayed Book Award came as a great surprise and delight to me. Arabic is a language with a long and deep storytelling tradition, and it is a great honour that my books have been translated and are being read in countries where the language is spoken.
I believe that stories are a universal language. They are like seeds that are carried by the wind and scattered all over the world. Stories fall in various places, transcending differences of culture and language, taking root in people's hearts and blooming into beautiful flowers. A Japanese boy who reads "The Thousand and One Nights" may discover the joy of stories, or perhaps grow up to become a writer.
Unfortunately, bloody conflicts and hatred continue to rage in many parts of the world today. As a novelist, I sincerely hope that by sharing good stories, people can connect with each other and that this will become a force, even if just a little, that will move the world toward peace."
The book fair where the awards are held, and the current state of Abu Dhabi
The Sheikh Zayed Book Awards, held at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, is a highlight of the event. The fair is an international book fair that brings together publishers, bookstores, media companies, and others from the Middle East and North Africa. This year, the fair was held over 10 days from April 26, 2025, and attracted more than 1,400 exhibitors from 96 countries and regions.
Although the exhibition is centered around Arabic language and its cultural sphere, the nationalities and languages of the publications featured are quite diverse. What stands out is the number of exhibitors from English-speaking countries. Currently, the majority of UAE residents are foreigners, and many multinational talents have migrated from neighboring countries such as India, Nepal, and Pakistan to make up the society, so English is actually a major common language alongside Arabic. Furthermore, English is being actively introduced into primary and secondary education, so English books are widely circulated and picked up.
Furthermore, manga and anime, a culture originating from Japan, are hugely popular not only in the West but also in the UAE. Major titles such as "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" and "Attack on Titan" as well as many other comics, both old and new, are widely available in English. Countless fans, from casual readers to enthusiasts, are thriving, and related books were prominent at this book fair. In the literary sphere, popular Japanese authors whose works have been translated into the West, such as Haruki Murakami, are also widely read.
While also part of the UAE, Abu Dhabi is slightly different from Dubai, which has led the way in economic growth and is home to a forest of gigantic commercial buildings. Abu Dhabi is more focused on promoting culture and the arts, and its central area, the Saadiyat Cultural District, is home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, Berklee College of Music Abu Dhabi, and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, among others.
In particular, the Zayed National Museum, whose construction is currently underway and is scheduled for completion by 2025, will become a symbolic museum in the country, named after Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's founding father and first president. To coincide with this, further cultural complexes such as the Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi are also being constructed in the surrounding area.
Of course, as a major commercial area, there are several huge shopping malls, the Yas Marina Circuit, where the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is held, and the adjacent Ferrari World, which attract tourists from all over the world, and there are plans for mega-themed parks such as Disney World Abu Dhabi in the future.
However, Abu Dhabi does not rely solely on shopping and entertainment, nor does it focus solely on domestic business; it continues to invest in "international culture and the arts." This seems to be consistent with Abu Dhabi's vision of the future as a new international city that transcends the boundaries of the UAE's capital. This development also echoes Murakami's words that "stories are a universal language."
The book fair venue had the theme "Knowledge Illuminates the Community." 
While the focus is on publishing, there are also many exhibits that involve various media such as broadcasting and the Internet. 
Exhibitors from the local UAE, as well as publishers and bookstores from across Asia, were prominent.
Sheikh Zayed Book Award
Sheikh Zayed Book Award
