Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi has launched AUS Press at the Warsaw International Book Fair, placing American University of Sharjah’s new publishing arm at the centre of Sharjah’s wider cultural showcase in Poland.
The launch took place as Sharjah appeared as Guest of Honour at the 2026 edition of the fair, held from May 28 to 31 at PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw. The event has given the emirate a high-profile European platform to present its publishing sector, literary institutions, academic voices and cultural diplomacy agenda to a broad international audience.
AUS Press has been created to support scholarship, translation and knowledge exchange between the region and global readerships. The imprint will publish works of regional and international relevance, with an emphasis on culture, society, public debate and the movement of ideas across languages. Its establishment marks a new stage in the university’s efforts to give academic research a stronger public presence beyond classrooms, conferences and specialist journals.
Sheikha Bodour, President of American University of Sharjah, said the launch reflected a belief that universities must not only generate knowledge but also ensure that knowledge is shared, translated and circulated across cultures. Her remarks at the fair connected the new press to a broader argument about the role of books in sustaining dialogue between societies at a time when cultural understanding is increasingly tied to education, publishing and diplomacy.
The first publication under AUS Press is “AUS 25: American University of Sharjah, A Legacy of Learning | 1997–Today”, a commemorative volume tracing the university’s development from its founding in 1997. The book draws on voices from across the AUS community, including leadership, faculty, staff, alumni and former senior figures, and is intended as both an institutional record and a reflection on the university’s academic evolution.
AUS Press also announced its first title acquisition: the Arabic edition of “Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America’s Great Power Prophet”, written by Edward Luce. The translation is expected to be published to coincide with the Sharjah International Book Fair 2026. The choice carries symbolic weight in Warsaw, linking a Polish-American statesman’s life and influence to a new Arab academic publishing venture focused on translation and cross-cultural readership.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served as National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, remains one of the most studied figures in Cold War-era foreign policy. Bringing the biography into Arabic gives the press an early opportunity to position itself as a bridge between global political thought and Arabic-speaking readers.
Sharjah’s Guest of Honour programme at the Warsaw fair brought together publishers, writers, academics, artists and cultural institutions from the UAE and Poland. The programme has centred on literature, translation, publishing, heritage, visual culture and intellectual exchange, reinforcing Sharjah’s long-running investment in books as part of its international identity.
The Warsaw International Book Fair has grown into one of Poland’s most prominent literary events, attracting publishers, authors, booksellers, translators, librarians and readers. Its 2026 edition includes more than 1,500 book-related events, reflecting the scale of Poland’s reading culture and the fair’s expanding international profile. Sharjah’s participation as Guest of Honour gives the emirate direct access to European publishers and cultural decision-makers at a moment when translation rights, academic publishing and cross-border cultural partnerships are drawing renewed attention.
For AUS, the launch strengthens its role as a university rooted in Sharjah’s cultural strategy but increasingly active in global academic networks. The institution has long positioned itself as a regional centre for liberal education, research and international collaboration. A dedicated press adds a publishing channel through which faculty research, cultural studies, translated works and selected public-interest titles can reach wider audiences.
Dr Tod Laursen, Chancellor of AUS, said the university’s presence in Warsaw reflected its ambition to be globally engaged while remaining aligned with Sharjah’s cultural vision. He described AUS Press as part of a wider effort to research, translate, publish and share ideas with the world.
The new imprint also enters a publishing landscape in which university presses continue to play an important role despite commercial pressures. Academic publishers face rising production costs, digital disruption and tighter library budgets, yet they remain essential to preserving specialised scholarship and supporting books that may not fit conventional commercial models. AUS Press will need to balance editorial ambition with sustainability, visibility and distribution in a crowded global marketplace.
Translation is expected to be central to that strategy. Arabic publishing has expanded across education, children’s books, literature and cultural history, but gaps remain in the availability of high-quality translated academic and non-fiction works. By identifying titles with regional relevance and international significance, AUS Press can contribute to a wider effort to deepen Arabic-language access to global ideas while also helping scholarship from the region travel outward.
The Warsaw launch also underlines Sheikha Bodour’s continuing influence in international publishing. She has held senior roles across the book industry and has been closely associated with initiatives supporting publishers, translation, children’s literature and cultural exchange. Her leadership of AUS and the Sharjah Book Authority gives the new press institutional links across academia and the publishing sector.
The launch took place as Sharjah appeared as Guest of Honour at the 2026 edition of the fair, held from May 28 to 31 at PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw. The event has given the emirate a high-profile European platform to present its publishing sector, literary institutions, academic voices and cultural diplomacy agenda to a broad international audience.
AUS Press has been created to support scholarship, translation and knowledge exchange between the region and global readerships. The imprint will publish works of regional and international relevance, with an emphasis on culture, society, public debate and the movement of ideas across languages. Its establishment marks a new stage in the university’s efforts to give academic research a stronger public presence beyond classrooms, conferences and specialist journals.
Sheikha Bodour, President of American University of Sharjah, said the launch reflected a belief that universities must not only generate knowledge but also ensure that knowledge is shared, translated and circulated across cultures. Her remarks at the fair connected the new press to a broader argument about the role of books in sustaining dialogue between societies at a time when cultural understanding is increasingly tied to education, publishing and diplomacy.
The first publication under AUS Press is “AUS 25: American University of Sharjah, A Legacy of Learning | 1997–Today”, a commemorative volume tracing the university’s development from its founding in 1997. The book draws on voices from across the AUS community, including leadership, faculty, staff, alumni and former senior figures, and is intended as both an institutional record and a reflection on the university’s academic evolution.
AUS Press also announced its first title acquisition: the Arabic edition of “Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America’s Great Power Prophet”, written by Edward Luce. The translation is expected to be published to coincide with the Sharjah International Book Fair 2026. The choice carries symbolic weight in Warsaw, linking a Polish-American statesman’s life and influence to a new Arab academic publishing venture focused on translation and cross-cultural readership.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served as National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, remains one of the most studied figures in Cold War-era foreign policy. Bringing the biography into Arabic gives the press an early opportunity to position itself as a bridge between global political thought and Arabic-speaking readers.
Sharjah’s Guest of Honour programme at the Warsaw fair brought together publishers, writers, academics, artists and cultural institutions from the UAE and Poland. The programme has centred on literature, translation, publishing, heritage, visual culture and intellectual exchange, reinforcing Sharjah’s long-running investment in books as part of its international identity.
The Warsaw International Book Fair has grown into one of Poland’s most prominent literary events, attracting publishers, authors, booksellers, translators, librarians and readers. Its 2026 edition includes more than 1,500 book-related events, reflecting the scale of Poland’s reading culture and the fair’s expanding international profile. Sharjah’s participation as Guest of Honour gives the emirate direct access to European publishers and cultural decision-makers at a moment when translation rights, academic publishing and cross-border cultural partnerships are drawing renewed attention.
For AUS, the launch strengthens its role as a university rooted in Sharjah’s cultural strategy but increasingly active in global academic networks. The institution has long positioned itself as a regional centre for liberal education, research and international collaboration. A dedicated press adds a publishing channel through which faculty research, cultural studies, translated works and selected public-interest titles can reach wider audiences.
Dr Tod Laursen, Chancellor of AUS, said the university’s presence in Warsaw reflected its ambition to be globally engaged while remaining aligned with Sharjah’s cultural vision. He described AUS Press as part of a wider effort to research, translate, publish and share ideas with the world.
The new imprint also enters a publishing landscape in which university presses continue to play an important role despite commercial pressures. Academic publishers face rising production costs, digital disruption and tighter library budgets, yet they remain essential to preserving specialised scholarship and supporting books that may not fit conventional commercial models. AUS Press will need to balance editorial ambition with sustainability, visibility and distribution in a crowded global marketplace.
Translation is expected to be central to that strategy. Arabic publishing has expanded across education, children’s books, literature and cultural history, but gaps remain in the availability of high-quality translated academic and non-fiction works. By identifying titles with regional relevance and international significance, AUS Press can contribute to a wider effort to deepen Arabic-language access to global ideas while also helping scholarship from the region travel outward.
The Warsaw launch also underlines Sheikha Bodour’s continuing influence in international publishing. She has held senior roles across the book industry and has been closely associated with initiatives supporting publishers, translation, children’s literature and cultural exchange. Her leadership of AUS and the Sharjah Book Authority gives the new press institutional links across academia and the publishing sector.
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