Timeframe: How Magrudy’s bookstore put the UAE on the literary map nearly 50 years ago – The National

Timeframe: How Magrudy’s bookstore put the UAE on the literary map nearly 50 years ago – The National

There was a celebration this week for a UAE cultural institution.

Magrudy's, a home-grown brand now synonymous with children’s literature and educational toys, marked its 47th anniversary on Wednesday in a typically low-key manner at its branch in Jumeirah.

Milling with the crowd was co-founder Isobel Abulhoul, who exchanged recollections and reflections of a humble shop that grew into a market leader, and in the process helped place the UAE on the global literary map.