Dubai, UAE 04 December, 2019: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has announced that Markus Zusak, the internationally acclaimed author of The Book Thief, will be appearing at the 2020 Festival, which takes place at the InterContinental hotel, Dubai Festival City, from 4-9 February. The Festival has also revealed details of its closing event, Festival Finale: Tomorrow, an extravaganza of music, poetry and readings.

Markus will be talking about his latest novel, Bridge of Clay, which has received rave reviews throughout the world. A sweeping family saga it charts the fortunes of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules, over-shadowed by the mysterious disappearance of their father. The master storyteller will appear on Saturday 8 February.

Markus will be one of many stars joining the line-up for the Festival Finale: Tomorrow, which will also feature Nujeen Mustafa, whose extraordinary story of escape from Syria is told in Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo; Harry Baker and Chris Reed, the UK’s favourite comedy-rap-jazz duo; Malala’s parents, Ziauddin and Toor Pekai Yousafzai; Onjali Q. Raúf, author of the award winning children’s book The Boy at the Back of the Class about a young refugee; English author, poet and translator Kevin Crossley-Holland, and many more.

The Festival’s charity finale event will offer an unforgettable evening with world class writers and performers coming together on one stage at this unique event. Performance poetry, music, and author readings will take the audience on a journey to a better Tomorrow through home, hope and harmony. All proceeds will go to Dubai Cares’ programmes for child refugees across the region, and ticket prices start from AED 99 and go up to AED 799, with guests encouraged to choose the price they can afford to help the Festival raise more funds for those most in need.

The Festival, which is in its 12th year, is home to a number of inimitable special events. The atmospheric signature event, Deserts Stanzas, opens the Festival with an enthralling line-up featuring poets from the USA, Ireland, Portugal, UK and UAE. These include Hassan Al Matrooshi, Harry Baker, Afra Atiq, Eleanor Hooker and Carlos Andrés Gómez. The Murder Mystery Dinner also makes a triumphant return with Luke Jennings’ spine-tingling psychopath who takes centre stage as the audience deducts who is ‘Killing Villanelle’ over a delectable three-course meal. Internet sensation BOSH!, the worlds most viewed and most loved plant based recipe channel, also describes as ‘the vegan Jamie Olivers’ will perform a live demonstration of some of their favourite dishes at the BOSH! Vegan Supper Club.

The stellar Festival line-up also includes TV presenter and best-selling author Nadiya Hussain, the first Arab winner of the International Man Booker Prize Jokha Alharthi, ‘Killing Eve’ creator Luke Jennings, historian Bettany Hughes, explorer Ranulph Fiennes, space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, and UAE astronaut Hazzaa Al Mansouri.

Award-winning and best-selling authors include Tayari Jones, Hoda Barakat, Omaima Alkhamis, Esi Edugayan, Mohammed Hanif, Linwood Barclay, Santa Montefiori, Mitch Albom and Omar Saif Ghobash. Genres covered include literary, popular and crime fiction, business, history, spirituality, poetry, science, food, adventure and exploration and more, along with an exciting interactive programme for children of all ages.

The Festival is held with Founding Partners Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated authority for heritage, arts, and culture.

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.

To buy tickets and for the full list of authors, visit http://www.emirateslitfest.com/shop

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