To encourage community members to utilise their free time reading during the summer break, Rewayat, a subsidiary of Kalimat Publishing Group, in collaboration with Emirates Airline, has launched the ‘Summer Reads’ campaign, inviting readers to read and review a curated list of books with a chance to win tickets to travel to the authors’ countries and explore their cultures.

The campaign runs over four weeks, and one of its publications is selected for reading each week until 25 August. Readers must submit reviews and presentations of the books and share these reviews on Rewayat’s social media accounts.

They must also record and publish a video summarising the book they have read, which a specialised committee will evaluate to select and announce winners at the end of the campaign.

 Instilling the habit of reading in the community

Translating Rewayat’s belief in the importance of reading, the campaign encourages community members to use their summer vacations to learn, read, write, and enjoy literature. It aims to instil the habit of reading and reinforces Rewayat’s commitment to promoting publishing and translation. This initiative aligns with Sharjah and the UAE’s vision to build a knowledge-based society capable of building communication bridges with global cultures.

This is the second year Emirates supports Rewayat, which aligns with the airline’s commitment to engage with the local community in the UAE and build bridges of understanding between cultures around the world.

 Inner Cities

Readers are invited to participate in a competition to win two tickets to Bahrain by submitting a review of ‘Inner Cities’ by Bahraini author Ghadeer Alkhunaizi. The book explores her journey through the streets of Manama, Paris, and Minneapolis, delving into the concept of the ‘Flâneur’—individuals who navigate urban spaces with heightened awareness, analysing architecture, and experiencing the psychological and perceptual impacts of engineered designs.

 Letters of Syria & Palestine

The next book on the list is ‘Letters of Syria & Palestine’ by Turkish author Yusuf Akçura. The book contains 30 letters he documented during his visit to Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine in 1913, describing what he saw, experienced, and observed in those countries, their schools, universities, and the lives of their people of different religions and orientations, in a unique literary style that captures the beauty of travel literature. Participants can win two tickets to Turkey by submitting a review of this amazing work.

 Glory of Beauty

By submitting a review of ‘Glory of Beauty’ by Piedad Bonnett, participants can enter a competition to win two tickets to Spain. This compelling book tells the story of Fabiola, a girl who fails to meet the beauty and charm expectations set by her mother, family, and community. It chronicles her ongoing struggle with self-image, societal beauty standards, and feelings of inferiority, exploring the profound impact these internal conflicts have on her childhood, life, and relationships.

 Clarice Lispector Complete Stories

A chance to win two tickets to Brazil awaits readers of ‘Clarice Lispector Complete Stories.’ This book features six short story collections written by Clarice Lispector between the early 1960s and mid-1970s: ‘Family Ties’ (translated by Mark Jammal), ‘The Foreign Legion,’ ‘Secret Happiness,’ ‘Where You Were at Night,’ ‘The Path of Body Pains,’ and ‘The Vision of Splendor’ translated by Saeed Ben Abdel Wahid.

Weekly Prizes

In addition to travel tickets at the end of the ‘Summer Reads’ campaign, Rewayat offers weekly prizes to participants in the reviews, presentations, and ratings of the four books. By answering weekly questions on Rewayat’s social media accounts, participants can win one of four book bags containing selected publications.

Rewayat launched the ‘Summer Reads’ campaign, the first of its kind in the region, in July 2022 in collaboration with Emirates Airline. Six winners received tickets, including one to Kenya for the outstanding review of ‘Weep Not, Child’ by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o; one to Poland for reviewing ‘Poems of Adam Zagajewski’ by Adam Zagajewski; a ticket to Turkey for ‘Labyrinth’ by Burhan Sönmez; another to Sweden for reviewing ‘Doctor Glas’ by Hjalmar Söderberg; a ticket to Paris for reviewing ‘Orphic Paris’ by Henri Cole; and a ticket to the USA for reviewing ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ by James Baldwin.

More information about the campaign and participation criteria can be found on Rewayat’s official social media accounts. The public is also invited to visit Rewayat’s Instagram account @rewayatreads for the latest updates and details.