Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing

Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (BQFP) was a publishing house established in Doha in October 2008 through a partnership between Bloomsbury Publishing PLC and Qatar Foundation. It was described as Qatar’s first publishing house and was created to develop a locally rooted publishing program with international reach. The venture operated during a period in which Qatar was expanding its cultural, educational, and knowledge institutions, and its publishing list reflected that environment. BQFP’s output covered fiction, nonfiction, children’s and young-adult literature, academic works, translations, and commissioned institutional books. Its editorial emphasis combined international publishing expertise with material connected to Qatar, the Persian Gulf, and the wider Arab world. The press sought to give greater visibility to local voices, including Qatari writers, while also making Arabic and regional perspectives available to international readers. One example associated with the BQFP period was Qatari Voices, a collection of essays by young Qataris. A significant part of the organization’s role was translation. Its broader publishing program translated works between Arabic and English and, over time, extended into languages including Turkish, Chinese, Malayalam, Greek, French, Spanish, German, Catalan, and Russian. It also supported translations of Arabic and English works into additional languages. This orientation positioned the press not only as a commercial publisher but also as a cultural intermediary connecting Qatar and the Arab region with international literary and scholarly networks. The organization also participated in Qatar’s cultural infrastructure. It attended the Doha International Book Fair from its early years and appeared at international events such as the London Book Fair, Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Paris Book Fair, and book fairs in the Arab world and South Asia. During the BQFP period, it participated in the Annual Translation Conference, first held in 2010 in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. It also worked with Qatari cultural initiatives, including the Ministry of Culture and Sports’ Year of Culture program. BQFP’s publishing activity included academic and public-interest books concerning Gulf history, society, journalism, women, sustainability, and regional politics. Its commissioned publishing work included projects for Qatari institutions and clients, including collaborations connected with Msheireb Downtown Doha and the study of sustainable urbanism. The organization’s associated scholarly publishing activity later included QScience, an online peer-reviewed open-access platform serving research communities in Qatar and beyond. The Bloomsbury-Qatar Foundation partnership ended in December 2015. BQFP then transitioned into Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, which became part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University under the Qatar Foundation umbrella. Because the BQFP identity was replaced by the university press, the brand is best treated as a defunct or superseded publishing venture rather than as the current name of the Doha press. Many of the editorial priorities associated with BQFP—regional scholarship, translation, Arabic publishing, children’s literature, and international cultural exchange—continued in the successor institution.

Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing was established in Doha in October 2008 as a partnership between Bloomsbury Publishing PLC and Qatar Foundation. The venture was created during Qatar’s broader development of institutions devoted to education, culture, research, and international exchange. It was presented as Qatar’s first publishing house and was intended to combine the capabilities of an established international publisher with Qatar Foundation’s local and regional mission. The press developed a broad list rather than limiting itself to one genre. It published fiction, nonfiction, children’s and young-adult works, academic books, translations, and commissioned volumes for institutions and cultural organizations. Its regional editorial focus included Qatar, the Persian Gulf, and the Arab world. The press sought to support Qatari authors and local narratives, including through projects such as Qatari Voices, while also publishing scholarship about Gulf history, society, journalism, women, sustainability, and political affairs. Translation was central to the organization’s identity. Its work included movement between Arabic and English and eventually involved a wider range of source and target languages. The press translated international literature into Arabic and helped bring Arabic and regional writing to readers in other languages. During the 2010 Annual Translation Conference, organized with Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, the organization participated in discussions concerning literary translation and cultural exchange. It also engaged with Qatar’s Year of Culture initiative, which connected publishing agreements and translation activity with partner countries. The publishing program extended beyond conventional books. QScience, launched in December 2010, operated as an online peer-reviewed open-access scholarly platform. It hosted journals in areas including information studies and technology, law and anti-corruption, medicine, emergency medicine, trauma, and related fields. The platform’s stated purpose was to make research more accessible to specialists and the general public. The press also produced commissioned works for Qatari institutions and development projects. Projects associated with Msheireb Downtown Doha included publications on sustainable urbanism, including work connected with Harvard University. BQFP maintained a presence at the Doha International Book Fair and participated in international book fairs in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. This event participation supported its dual role as a local Qatari publisher and an international distributor of Arabic, Gulf, and translated content. Its books and associated authors, translators, and illustrators received recognition in several literary and publishing awards. Examples cited for the wider press include the 2016 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation for Jonathan Wright’s translation of The Bamboo Stalk, as well as translation and book awards connected with works such as A Recipe for Home, Bitter Almonds, The Light of Hope, Bloodstone, Alphabet City, Gardening in Arabia, and an Arabic translation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant. The Bloomsbury and Qatar Foundation partnership ended in December 2015. BQFP consequently transitioned into Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press. The successor became part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, which sits within the wider Qatar Foundation community. The BQFP name therefore represents an earlier phase of the Doha publishing operation. Its principal continuities were the emphasis on Arabic and international translation, Gulf and Qatari perspectives, academic publishing, children’s literature, and cultural collaboration.

• 2018

  The Gulf Crisis: The View from Qatar

  [1]Hamad Bin Khalifa University Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The press published an edited collection on the political, economic, social, and diplomatic effects of the Qatar blockade.

• 2016

  Translation award recognition for The Bamboo Stalk

  [1]Hamad Bin Khalifa University Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The English translation of Saud Alsanousi’s The Bamboo Stalk, published by the press, received the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.

• 2015

  Transition to Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press

  [1]Hamad Bin Khalifa University Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The Bloomsbury-Qatar Foundation partnership ended and the BQFP operation transitioned into HBKU Press.

• 2010

  QScience introduced

  [1]Hamad Bin Khalifa University Pressen.wikipedia.org

  The associated online scholarly publishing platform began offering peer-reviewed open-access research.

• 2010

  First Annual Translation Conference

  [1]Hamad Bin Khalifa University Pressen.wikipedia.org

  BQFP participated in the first Annual Translation Conference in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

• 2008

  BQFP founded in Doha

  [1]Hamad Bin Khalifa University Pressen.wikipedia.org

  Bloomsbury Publishing PLC and Qatar Foundation established Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing as a Doha-based publishing venture.

A Qatar-based, internationally oriented publisher combining Bloomsbury’s publishing partnership with Qatar Foundation’s cultural and educational mission. Its distinctive areas included Qatari and Gulf narratives, Arabic publishing, translation, academic research, children’s education, and commissioned works for regional institutions.

• Trade publishing · 2008

  Fiction and literary nonfiction

  BQFP published fiction and literary nonfiction for regional and international readers, with an emphasis on Arabic, Gulf, and cross-cultural perspectives. The program included original works as well as translated literature, supporting the circulation of Arab and international writing across languages.

• Academic publishing · 2008

  Academic and scholarly books

  The press produced academic and public-interest titles concerning Gulf history, politics, society, journalism, women, sustainability, and regional affairs. These books connected Qatar Foundation’s educational ecosystem with wider debates about the Persian Gulf and the Arab world.

• Children’s publishing · 2008

  Children’s and young-adult publishing

  Children’s publishing included literary and educational works reflecting Arab Gulf culture and the local environment. Examples associated with the wider publishing program include Qatar Nature Explorer and series introducing vocabulary, environments, and life cycles relevant to children in Gulf communities.

• Translation publishing · 2008

  Translations

  Translation was a core offering, covering Arabic-English exchange and additional languages such as Russian, French, Spanish, German, Turkish, Chinese, Greek, Malayalam, Catalan, Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Persian, and Norwegian. The program included Arabic editions of major international authors and English editions of Arabic works.

• Open-access scholarly publishing · 2010

  QScience

  QScience was an online peer-reviewed open-access platform associated with the press and later HBKU Press. It hosted specialized and multidisciplinary journals, including publications covering information technology, law, anti-corruption, medicine, emergency medicine, trauma, and acute care.

• Custom publishing · 2008

  Commissioned institutional books

  BQFP undertook commissioned publishing projects for Qatari institutions and organizations. These projects were designed to document local initiatives, communicate research, and serve cultural or regional audiences. Work connected with Msheireb Downtown Doha included publications addressing sustainable urbanism.

• 2018Qatar-Russia Year of Culture publishing activity

  Qatar · Russia · Arabic-speaking markets

  The successor press participated in Qatar’s Year of Culture program with Russia by translating selected works by Alexander Pushkin from Russian into Arabic.

  Outcome. The project expanded the press’s cultural-exchange and multilingual publishing activity.

  Source
• 2010Annual Translation Conference

  Qatar · International

  BQFP participated in the inaugural Annual Translation Conference in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. The initiative supported discussion of literary translation and international cultural exchange.

  Outcome. The conference established a recurring platform associated with the press’s translation mission.

  Source
• International book-fair participation

  Qatar · United Kingdom · France · Germany · India · Middle East

  The press maintained a presence at the Doha International Book Fair and participated in international events including the London Book Fair, Frankfurter Buchmesse, Paris Book Fair, New Delhi World Book Fair, and several Arab book fairs.

  Outcome. These appearances supported the distribution and international visibility of Qatari, Arabic, Gulf, and translated works.

  Source

• 2015

  Transition from BQFP to HBKU PressStrategy

  Background

  The original publishing partnership between Bloomsbury Publishing and Qatar Foundation ended in December 2015.

  Action taken

  The BQFP operation was reorganized and continued as Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press within Hamad Bin Khalifa University and the Qatar Foundation community.

  Aftermath

  The BQFP brand was superseded, while publishing activity in regional literature, translation, academic works, and children’s books continued under the university press.

  Source

1. 1Hamad Bin Khalifa University Pressen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing official websitebqfp.com.qa