Politics and culture meet at the 33rd Cairo International Book Fair. Al-Ahram Weekly samples some of the fair ground's Palestine-related events, reports on Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni's inaugural speech, investigates the phenomenon of book confiscation, searches for signs of e-text, and provides this week's CIBF seminar programme

'Ordinary people'
An unruffled minister of culture met with little opposition during his appearance at the book fair, writes Omayma Abdel-Latif

The e-word on everybody's lips
Amira Howeidy discovers what the "e" is all about

Off the shelf -- and then where?
Have books been confiscated at CIBF?

After several years of absence from the Cairo International Book Fair, Mahmoud Darwish, the distinguished Palestinian poet and one of the most accomplished living Arab poets, is the guest of honour at this year's fair --read on--

Plain talk
By Mursi Saad El-Din

An all-inclusive guide
to goings on around Cairo