Bodour makes history by winning top Italian award

Bodour says, 'For me, this award signals a shift towards a more inclusive children's publishing sector,' after becoming the first woman from GCC to win the BolognaRagazzi Award for Fiction

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Emirati publisher, author, and women's advocate Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi has made history by becoming the first woman from an Arab Gulf state to receive the prestigious BolognaRagazzi Award for Fiction.

Sheikha Bodour received the prize for her groundbreaking children's book 'House of Wisdom' at a ceremony at the impressive Palazzo d'Accursio, in Bologna.

Reflecting on the honour, Sheikha Bodour said: “For me, this award signals a shift towards a more inclusive children's publishing sector, and to potential global stories. 'House of Wisdom' carry a message that books can occasion unity, progress, and a deeper understanding between cultures. It's a timely statement about literature's power to build bridges and keep the bigger, more picture in view.”

She added: “The House of Wisdom was library that symbolised how knowledge and collaboration across cultures can build stronger bridges. Its loss in 1258 is a tragic allegory to the fragility of intellectual freedom — a lesson of undiminished relevance today.”