Tehran – The 11th edition of the novel “Call Me Ziba” by Farhad Hassanzadeh, a children’s author, has recently been published.
The book, published by Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) of Iran’s Institute of Intellectual Development, reached its 11th printing, as the 36th Tehran International Book Fair was underway and the highly anticipated film adaptation was set to hit the screen.
“Call Me Ziba” follows a teenage girl who lives in a nursing home dorm for a girl who dreams of celebrating her birthday with her father. Determined to make this happen, she plans to help him escape from the mental hospital.
Her pivotal encounter with her sick father causes an unexpected and adventurous journey through Tehran. The city’s odyssey forms the path to Ziba’s self-discovery, soothes the broken emotional connection between father and daughter, and changes relationships in the city’s haunts.
Since its first publication in 2015, Call Me Ziba has attracted extensive recognition and many acclaim. These include the winner of the 2016 Iidcya and Children’s Book Council Festival, nominee for the famous Islamic Republic Award in Iran, and the 2016 selection of the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany.
The novel was also featured in the 2018 Ibby Honor List, with the English version being published at the Bologna Book Fair, and saw the publication rights officially acquired by some of the foreign publications.
Further recognition includes nominations in the fiction category of the 9th Best Children and Young Adult Book Festival and being present in the flying camera list to positively influence the emotional well-being of parents and children.
Translation and publication rights are also permitted by Armenian publishers, and were translated by Gevorg Asaturyan. The book was also the bestseller at the 35th Tehran International Book Fair.
The 192-page novel, part of the “Young Adult Novels of Today” series, currently reaches a total distribution of 27,500 copies.
Additionally, the adaptation of the film “Call Me Ziba” directed by Rasoul Sadrameli is scheduled to be released in cinemas nationwide from May 8th.
The 36th Tehran International Book Fair is currently underway at Imam Khomeini Mosala. The Institute for Intellectual Development in Children and Young Adults is taking part in an exhibition with 1,200 titles from its extensive catalogue.
sab/