33rd Tehran Intl. Book Fair to revitalize publication industry

Tehran, May 11, IRNA – The 33rd Tehran International Book Fair opened on Tuesday local time in the Iranian capital to pave the ground for reinvigorating reading and publishing arenas after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and economic hardships. The fair was officially inaugurated in the presence of Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Mahdi Esmaili, Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, and some Iranian cultural officials at Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran. According to the organizers of the event, the 33rd book fair is being held both virtual and in-person simultaneously. The organizers have made coordination with Iran’s Post Office to transfer books. Moreover, subsidies for the purchase of books from the book fair allocated to students and university professors have been raised significantly, indicating 100% increase in comparison to subsidies provided to the target community in the last Iranian year (March 20, 2021 to March 20, 2022). In the second virtual book fair, which was held last year, some 1,331,530 volumes were sold. Yaser Ahmadvand, head of the 33rd Tehran International Book Fair, said that some 1700 publishers are showcasing their products at the cultural event, adding that furthermore, 1100 publishers supply their books in cyberspace. According to the organizer, 170 foreign publishers take part in the book fair, and almost 50 foreign guests from 30 countries are scheduled to visit the cultural event. Publishers from Switzerland, India, Hong Kong, Turkey, Italy, France, China, South Korea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan, Tunisia, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Azerbaijan Republic, Tajikistan, Russia, Serbia, Mexico, England, Australia, the Netherlands, the US, Germany, and Spain show their books in the fair. According to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Qatar is to have a strong presence in the event. The Tehran book fair is being held physically after two years of corona restrictions and following vaccinations of people in different countries around the world. Amid the current economic crisis after the pandemic, it is expected that holding the book fair will help Iranian publications to overcome challenges and find a way out of economic hardships. Although the book fair is being held in Tehran, Sanandaj, the capital city of Kordestan province in western Iran, has been designated as Iran's 2022 Book Capital. Previously, the cities of Ahvaz, Neyshabour, Bushehr, Kashan, Yazd, and Shiraz were picked as Iran’s Book Capital. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish