An Emirati national, Omar holds a BA in Law from Oxford University and a BSc in Mathematics from the University of London. He began his career with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Segueing into private enterprise as an entrepreneur, Omar established a number of companies in the fields of finance, legal services, and the arts – co-founding one of Dubai’s most successful art galleries, award-winning The Third Line, and in March 2008, launching Kaleem Books, an exciting new publishing house specialising in original Arabic fiction.

Omar is a founding donor and board member of the Arab Foundation for Art and Culture and sits on the board of the Khatt Foundation, a non-profit cultural foundation dedicated to design research and cultural exchange between Europe and the Arab World. In 2006, he committed to funding the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, and is on the board of trustees for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (the Arab Booker Prize).

Omar can be contacted through jenny@kaleembooks.com
Kaleem Books will be on stand H900 (shared with the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage) at London Book Fair 2008 – H900

In recent years you’ve been involved in various arts and cultural organisations. What role do you see for culture and the arts in our world today?
I can talk only from my perspective within the Arab World. I got involved in various intitiatives primarily to satisfy a personal need to know about the world in which I live. It was essential for me to access peoples’ minds through their art and through their literature. I admit that I felt that other cultures were more exciting and vibrant than the Arab World, but as far as I am concerned, my instincts were proven correct. There are real issues of conviction, courage and infrastructure that need support in the Arab world. We also need to be conscious of both the generational prejudices and outlooks that work against young and innovative artists, writers and thinkers. The space for their thought and creativity needs to be widened. I hope to provide support to them in the work that I do.

You have started sponsoring the Banipal Prize for Arabic Fiction. What motivated you to do this?
I got to know Margaret Obank and Samuel Shimon when working on establishing the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. As I learnt more about Banipal, I understood the importance of the work they were supporting. I have always found translation issues and problems fascinating. My entrance exam to Oxford was in Russian Literature and Translation. I thought it was a perfect prize to support. They do essential work to bring different cultures closer to one another.

Kaleem Books is a new venture. What are you hoping to achieve?
Kaleem Books is a new venture but one that has been on my mind for over ten years. What am I hoping to achieve? I want to uncover for myself, and for the Arab reader, new treasures of the Arab imagination. I strongly believe in the power of the Arab writer and think that someone needs to take more of a risk on them. In every society, there are writers who don't receive the attention or support they deserve from the more established and traditional publishers. I am new to the field, am likely to make some great mistakes, but am also open to all voices. I approach the Arab writer with an open mind, not knowing what to expect, but ready to be dazzled. I am also keen to develop a generation of readers who are young and inquisitive, but have not yet discovered the beauty of reading. All the reports I have read on the Arab World make a point of how low the level of reading is, and I would like to be able to do something to change this through Kaleem Books.

At one of your other organisations, Third Line Gallery, you also run a reading group. Is that working well?
The reading group is running very well. The interesting thing is that in my last job in a non-profit organisation, I came across a number of reading groups across the Emirates. I hope that Kaleem Books can play a role in developing reading groups and perhaps sponsor literary discussions across the Arab World.

What are your plans for the London Book Fair this year?
I intend to establish contacts with publishing houses and agents from around the world. I believe that there are Arab writers today who should be translated into European languages. I hope also to promote our first writer Hassouna Mosbahi and his novel A Tunisian Tale. It is a work of fiction that is based on a true story; a gruesome case of matricide. Mosbahi delves brilliantly into the minds of both protagonists, as he imagines their complex emotional lives intertwining, ending in disaster for both. It is a social and moral story that has a bearing on all Arab societies.

What can we expect to see in the future from Omar Saif Ghobash?
I have some very clear plans for the next year. As of August, Kaleem Books aims to publish a novel a month in the Arabic language. I also want to get young Arab people involved. Publishing was a central pillar in my plans to contribute to Arab and Middle Eastern cultural development. The first pillar was The Third Line Gallery, specialising in Middle Eastern art. The final, is a project I am working on that will bring together Arab design specialists and product designers to develop ways of incorporating Arab design principles into everyday objects. It may or may not work, but I am hoping to be able to see the world of objects around me reflect something of Arab culture in the near future. I also think that injecting a bit of fun into being an Arab these days might do the world some good. There is currently too much bleakness in our outlook and the way we are perceived.