Cat Stevens talks about his memoir at Sharjah Book Fair on Sunday, free
Yusuf, the singer known as Cat Stevens, will discuss his memoir Cat on the Road to Findout at Expo Centre Sharjah on 8 November from 2pm. Entry is free, but seats must be reserved on the fair's website.
Yusuf, the singer-songwriter the world first knew as Cat Stevens, is coming to the Sharjah International Book Fair this weekend. He will sit down for a one-hour conversation about his memoir, Cat on the Road to Findout, on Sunday 8 November, from 2pm to 3pm in the Intellectual Hall at Expo Centre Sharjah. The session is part of the fair's free cultural programme.
The fair describes the talk as an intimate conversation in which he looks back on his life, his music and the stories behind his best-known songs. The memoir, a bestseller, also carries drawings by the singer himself. What's On reports that the conversation will be led by broadcaster Tom Urquhart, a familiar voice to listeners of Dubai Eye 103.8, and that the session is organised with Motivate Media Group.
For many readers the songs will need no introduction. His 1970s albums Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat gave the world Wild World, Father and Son and Peace Train. The fair notes that he has sold more than 100 million records, is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and that Tea for the Tillerman entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2025. He became a Muslim in 1977 and later founded schools and charities in the UK.
The Sharjah International Book Fair runs at Expo Centre Sharjah until 15 November, with Oman as this year's guest of honour, and fills its days with talks, workshops and book launches alongside the publishers' stands. A talk with a guest this well known is one of the bigger draws of its programme.
Entry to the session is free, and the fair lists the seats as unlimited, but you still need to reserve one: open the session's page on sibf.com, sign in as a visitor and press Reserve your seat. Arrive early, as hall entry on a Sunday afternoon can be slow. Expo Centre Sharjah is on Al Taawun Street, about 20 to 40 minutes from central Dubai by car depending on traffic. The memoir is sold by Books Arabia for Dh145. The fair's help line is 800 26657.