For 6 years, House of Wisdom's annual Book Club has been bringing together readers and literature enthusiasts to discuss carefully selected Arabic and international literary works, and enjoy reading as a shared cultural experience rather than a solitary activity. The initiative has encouraged dialogue, critical thinking and the exchange of perspectives across cultures and generations. Alongside its own annual programme, House of Wisdom also opens its spaces to independent book clubs and reading communities, reinforcing its role as a platform for literary dialogue throughout the year.

Delivered through four bilingual sessions in Arabic and English, the programme centred on friendship not simply as a personal relationship but as a lens through which literature explores identity, loyalty, responsibility, memory, resilience and shared destiny. By bringing together works from the UAE, Spain, the US, Libya and Kyrgyzstan, the Book Club encouraged participants to consider how stories rooted in different societies can illuminate universal aspects of the human experience.

Reflecting on the programme, Marwa Al Aqroubi, Executive Director of House of Wisdom, said: “Reading gains greater value when it becomes a shared experience that enables people to encounter different ideas and lived experiences while expressing their own perspectives in an environment built on mutual respect and understanding. This is what House of Wisdom's Book Club has sought to create by bringing together readers from different cultures around a universal human value that continues to resonate across time and place”.

She added: “The Book Club reflects House of Wisdom's commitment to building a knowledge-based community by creating spaces where literature inspires dialogue, critical thinking and meaningful cultural exchange. Through initiatives like this, we aim to make reading an active part of everyday community life while strengthening understanding between people through stories.”

Five works, multiple perspectives on friendship

Moderated by Dr Nezar Andary, the season opened at Heart of Sharjah with Sand Fish, a novel by Emirati author Maha Gargash, which explored friendship and solidarity among women in 1950s Emirati society. House of Wisdom hosted the rest of the sessions, including a paired discussion of bell hooks' All About Love and Miguel de Cervantes' The Dialogue of the Dogs. Together, the works examined friendship as an ethical practice built on care, honesty, dialogue and mutual responsibility, drawing on literary and philosophical traditions to explore how trust and human connection are formed.

The programme continued with Hisham Matar's My Friends, which reflected on loyalty, memory and exile through the lives of three lifelong companions, before concluding with Chingiz Aitmatov's Farewell, Gulsary!, which broadened the discussion beyond human relationships through the enduring bond between a man and his horse. Together, the final discussions examined friendship as a relationship shaped by resilience, shared destiny and the moral choices that define human experience. The concluding session was attended by Meder Tursaliev, Acting Consul General of the Kyrgyz Republic in Dubai, Nurlan Aripov, Counsellor at the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic to the UAE, and an accompanying delegation, underscoring the role of literary initiatives in bringing people from different cultures together through shared human values.

Through initiatives such as the Book Club, House of Wisdom continues to develop interactive cultural platforms that connect literature with everyday life, encourage meaningful dialogue and promote reading as a sustainable practice. By creating opportunities for people to engage with ideas collectively, the institution seeks to strengthen the role of knowledge and culture within the community while fostering greater understanding across cultures.