Dr. Said Yaktine Honoured as Cultural Personality of the Year at Sharjah International Book Fair
The Moroccan scholar and literary theorist, whose four decades of work have reshaped Arabic narratology, receives recognition at the 45th edition of the region's most significant literary gathering.
The landscape of Arabic literary scholarship has been profoundly shaped by one man’s methodical, intellectually rigorous exploration of narrative across centuries and media. Dr. Said Yaktine, a Moroccan scholar whose career spans from the secondary classroom to the upper reaches of academic research, has been named Cultural Personality of the Year at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair, an honour that acknowledges not merely his published works but the foundational thinking that has influenced generations of writers and critics across the Arab world.
Born in Casablanca in 1955, Yaktine’s scholarly trajectory reflects a mind attuned to both tradition and transformation. His early critical method, which crystallised in the 1980s through his examination of the Arabic novel, concerned itself with the intricate mechanics of narrative: the nature of time within stories, the presence and perspective of the narrator, the subtle variations of discourse. These were not merely technical considerations but gateways to understanding how meaning is constructed and conveyed through language. His work contributed substantially to Arab literary debates about how international critical approaches might be engaged without diminishing the particular traditions of Arabic letters.
What distinguishes Yaktine’s scholarship is his refusal to remain confined within a single temporal or methodological frame. Having examined the classical narrative heritage of the Arab world, particularly the popular epics and traditional storytelling that form the bedrock of Arab cultural memory, he later turned his attention to the unprecedented challenges posed by digital technology. His research into hypertext, electronic media and interactive literature addresses questions that seem urgently contemporary: how do digital forms alter the fundamental act of reading? What responsibilities do literary critics bear when the very nature of the text is transformed by technology? These are not peripheral concerns but central to understanding how literature itself continues to evolve.
The recognition from the Sharjah Book Authority, under the guidance of H.H. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Authority, reflects a commitment to honouring Arab intellectual achievement. Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of the Authority, noted that Yaktine’s selection aligns with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to recognise leading Arab cultural figures and ensure their contributions inform future scholarship and creative practice.
Yaktine’s academic career has encompassed roles as professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat, where he earned his State Doctorate in 1997, and as department head at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences. He has also served as visiting professor at universities across the Arab world and Europe, and from 2011 served as President of the Arab Internet Writers Union. His bibliography comprises more than twenty books, and his awards include Morocco’s Grand Book Prize, the Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Young Arab Researchers, and, notably, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2016.
The 45th Sharjah International Book Fair, which assembles nearly 2,700 publishers and exhibitors from 124 countries, represents precisely the kind of global literary platform that Yaktine has long championed. In his remarks upon receiving the honour, he drew attention to the fair’s own evolution: its expanded international reach, its diverse programming for children and adults alike, and its role in positioning Sharjah as a permanent centre of Arab cultural activity. This reciprocal acknowledgement between scholar and institution speaks to a deeper alignment of purpose, where intellectual rigour and cultural celebration reinforce one another.
What it means for Abu Dhabi
The honouring of Dr. Yaktine at the Sharjah International Book Fair underscores the significance of the wider UAE cultural landscape as a centre of intellectual achievement and Arab literary scholarship. While Sharjah leads this particular initiative, the recognition reverberates across the Emirates as evidence of how deeply invested the region has become in fostering rigorous academic discourse and introducing the world’s scholarly communities to the work of Arab thinkers and writers.
For Abu Dhabi particularly, the acknowledgement of Yaktine’s decades of research into how literature adapts to technological change carries particular resonance. As the emirate continues to position itself at the intersection of tradition and innovation, the example of a scholar who has seamlessly integrated classical Arabic narrative heritage with contemporary digital textuality provides a model for how intellectual endeavour can honour the past whilst embracing the future. The fair itself, with its vast assembly of global literary voices, demonstrates the UAE’s commitment to creating spaces where such convergences occur naturally and generatively.
Source: WAM News Agency