Tehran-Iraq is an honorary guest at the 36th Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) and deputy director of the fair, Ebrahim Haidali, spokesperson for the Fair, said at a press conference held in Tehran on Sunday.
“Iraq will be participating in delegations from over 15 publishers and 30 members. The Iraqi Minister of Culture will be attending the opening ceremony of the TIBF,” he was quoted as saying by Mehr.
According to Thaer Jaafar Al-Asami, Deputy Director of the National Publishing Association of Iraq: “This participation is a source of pride for our nation. We believe our presence at this fair will strengthen the cultural interactions and relationships between the two nations.”
“Of the 15 publishers from Iraq, we had planned to attend TIBF. Of these, one publisher belongs to the Iraqi Ministerial Conference and the other 14 are members of the Iraqi Publishers Association,” he added.
Speaking about the national and international sections of the Book Fair, Haidari said: “Iranian publishers have registered at the fair, which includes 1,589 publishers in Tehran and 774 publishers in other states. Additionally, 50 applicants from other countries have been registered.
“This year we launched a new special initiative called the Tehran Publishing Fellowship Program, which aims to support Iranian works and promote translation into other languages. A total of 81 publishers from 34 countries have registered to participate in the first edition of the program.
Foreign publishers have come from countries such as Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Brazil, China, Egypt, Hungary, India, Iraq, Italy, Malaysia, Russia, Spain, Syria, and Turkey.
The purpose of the fellowship is to strengthen Iran’s presence in the field of global publishing, initially focusing on the literature of children and young adults.
The term “publishing fellowship” refers to collaborations for the sale of books between publishers, authors and literary agents.
Haidari further emphasized the presence of international guests, saying, “Thirty foreign writers from different parts of the world will be attending the fair. I hope that their involvement with these respected guests will continue after the book fair.”
Recognised as a national heritage and event, the Tehran International Book Fair not only cheers and enriches the country’s culture, but also attracts the attention of cultural figures and book lovers around the world.
The cultural event has become an important book fair in West Asia landmarks for 35 consecutive editions. Millions of visitors inspect the fair each year, including thousands of university students, academics and their families.
The event now serves as Iran’s most important cultural event. Foreign publishers essentially provide material in English or Arabic. However, titles are also available in French, German, Chinese, Korean, Russian, or Japanese.
The 36th TIBF is scheduled to take place at Imam Khomeinimosala in Tehran from May 7th to 17th. “Read for Iran” was chosen as the slogan for the upcoming edition of the Book Fair.
SS/SAB