Culture of book reading needs to be promoted: Iranian culture minister

TEHRAN,May 3(MNA) -- Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini criticized the officials for their ignorance in promoting the culture of book reading among Iranians. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 25th edition of the Tehran International Book Fair on Tuesday, he referred to Supreme Leader’s concern for boosting book reading, Last year, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei had criticized Iranian librarians for Iran’s low per capita book reading rate. He had said that the figures on reading books and the number of publications are not satisfactory and had called for “a serious revision” of the official programs for the promotion of reading “useful and proper books”, particularly the programs targeting teenagers and the youth. Hosseini said that the organizers have tried to increase the activities of the fair this year but the quality needs to be developed as well. He added that several pavilions are dedicated to make the visitors familiar with the activities of the publishers during the past years. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who inaugurated the fair also regarded the fair a good chance for the book lovers. The fair is a big cultural event which provides the opportunity for the scholars, experts and literati and the students to meet and exchange views, he said, hoping that it would turn into a huge cultural festival in the world. Over 2,400 Iranian publishers and 1600 publishers from 77 countries are offering their products at the fair this year.