The special ambassador of the Bulgarian ministry of foreign affairs and Iranian Studies scholar gave an interview to the media of the Tehran International Book Fair
Ketab.ir, 16 May 2024
Angel Orbetsov – the professor of history and Iranology of Sofia University and the special ambassador of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria in the Eastern regions gave an interview to the news staff of the 35th Tehran International Book Fair about this exhibition. The Iranian media gives this interview retelling Orbetsov’s answers.
The interview started with Orbetsov telling his own experiences with the book fair in Tehran: In the early 1990s, during my mission to Iran as a diplomat at the Bulgarian Embassy in Tehran, I had the chance to visit three Tehran International Book Fairs in 1990, 1991 and 1992. I was very impressed by the wide participation of numerous publications, both domestic and foreign, as well as the attention paid to this exhibition by the leader of Iran and the heads of the country. This attention certainly represents the innate interest and fascination of the Iranian people for literature and reading. I remember that I bought a number of books from the exhibition, including a 3-volume collection of Mahmoud Dolatabadi’s short stories titled “Karnameh Sepanj”, a 3-volume work on the history of the Persian language by the prominent researcher Parviz Natal Khanleri, and a reprint of the famous French traveler Ms. Jeanne de Lavois’ book called “La Perse, la Chaldee et la Susianne”. If I have another chance to visit the exhibition, I will look for books on contemporary Iranian literature, as well as books on Persian linguistics, history, diplomacy, and Iranian art from local and foreign authors.
Pointing out that the Tehran International Book Fair attracts millions of visitors every year, he said: From this point of view, this event certainly has a very valuable effect on the spread of Iranian culture among domestic and foreign audiences. This exhibition, which has a popular aspect, is open to the public and is held in the vast space of Imam Khomeini’s (RA) mosque, it provides a context for the communication and interaction of different publishers, learning from each other and using innovative methods to influence the interest and curiosity of the readers. Undoubtedly, it is an exciting and unforgettable experience for readers to meet and talk with their favorite authors. Iranian people are known for their deep respect for their rich literary and cultural heritage and willingness to share it wholeheartedly with the world.
Orbetsov further added: Tehran Book Fair is the biggest showcase where Iran can introduce the best works of its culture. As far as I know, more than 2000 publishers have registered in person or virtually in the 35th edition of this exhibition with the slogan “Let’s read and create”. The innovative approach of this course and especially the anticipation of a rich cultural program including seminars, showing short films, holding conversations and debates, etc. seems very inspiring. It is also worth mentioning the booths containing literature for children and teenagers.
The professor of history and Iranology of Sofia University also stated: Unfortunately, because the Bulgarian media are immersed in hot political issues, such as the upcoming national and European elections, these types of cultural events fail to attract their attention. But usually, the information related to the Tehran Book Fair is transferred to social networks from the cultural consultation site of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Bulgaria.
In another part of his speech, Orbetsov said: There is a similar event in Bulgaria, and that is the Sofia International Book Fair, which has a long tradition as the largest book fair in the country. This exhibition was first opened in 1968 and was held annually throughout the socialist period until 1989. Sofia was the fifth European city to host international events of this type. The number of participating countries increased year by year and reached 47 countries in 1986. After the democratic changes in Bulgaria and the transition to a market economy, it took some time to reorganize the exhibition. This happened in 1993 in the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, which became the venue for the exhibition in the following years.
Orbetsov continued: That period of the exhibition hosted 170 publishers from 12 countries, and it was held at the same time as another prominent event, the establishment of the Bulgarian Publishers Association (currently “Bulgarian Book Association”), which started awarding prizes for the best published books. Later, exhibitions were held almost every year, and the number of participants gradually increased. The Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and other government officials played a more decisive role in their organization. The opening ceremony was auspicious and foreign countries were invited as special guests. Since 2013, exhibitions have been intertwined with festivals, whose main idea is to introduce different authors and diversify the range of events. Fairs are usually held before Christmas in a 1,600 square meter area with about 200 publishers and more than 60,000 visitors, and have a second edition called Bazaar Bahar or Spring Fair, which recently took place outdoors in the park in front of the National Palace of Culture in May, occurs when the country celebrates the day of education and culture of Bulgaria and the Slavic script.
The special ambassador of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria in the Eastern regions, in response to the question what is the position of Iran in the publishing industry of your country and what books from Iran are translated in your country answered: Iran participated in the Sofia Book Fair for the first time in 2003 and has been an active participant in its events since then. All the recent periods of the exhibition have had booths organized by the Iranian cultural center in Sofia, and each had more than 100 titles, most of which are in English. Iranian stalls usually include tourist guidebooks, albums of Iran’s cultural and historical attractions, luxurious copies of the Holy Quran and other religious books, etc. A special section is dedicated to children’s literature. You can also find Bulgarian translations of classical Persian poetry such as Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, contemporary Iranian literature, the famous monograph of Iranian art by Habibullah Ayatollahi, studies of Imam Khomeini’s political and religious heritage, etc. In particular, copies of two Persian-Bulgarian and Bulgarian-Persian dictionaries, which were recently compiled by a group of researchers, are also exhibited.
In the end, Orbetsov said: The tradition of studying Persian language and literature at Sofia University dates back to 1959. Sofia University has emerged as an unquenchable and flagship center of Iranology studies in Bulgaria, although other educational institutions have also included Persian language and Iranian history in their curricula in different courses. The Iranian embassy’s cultural consultancy has provided significant help and assistance in promoting the Persian language by organizing training courses for young people interested in Iranian culture, as well as by publishing books and holding public events. We should also mention the activities of the Center for Iran, Balkan and Central European Studies (IBCE), which is based in Sofia and strives to promote academic cooperation. This center cooperates and interacts well with the Iranology expertise of Sofia University and the Association of Persian Language and Culture’s Friends in the Republic of Bulgaria in holding international scientific conferences.
The 35th edition of the Tehran International Book Fair with the slogan “Let’s read and build” is held from 19 to 29 May 2024 at the place of Imam Khomeini’s mosque in person and on the ketab.ir system in virtual form.
Photo: The Tehran International Book Fair (source)
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