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Tehran University Hosts the 6th International Conference of Persian Language and Literature
According to IRIB News Agency, about 300 Iranian and foreign scholars were invited to the conference held on 14 and 15 January 2009 at Tehran University where they explored different aspects of Persian language and literature. Among them were 12 Tajik scholars. Literary works pertaining to the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, known as Sacred Defense, were reviewed on the event's sidelines.
The conference was sponsored by the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization. In a recent meeting with the Tajik delegation, Iran's Ambassador in Dushanbe stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation between Iranian and Tajik scholars."Thirty Tajik scholars are dispatched to Iran each month to familiarize themselves with Persian culture and civilisation," he said.
Recent books on Persian language and literature, including 213 poetry and story books were displayed at the sidelines of the conference.
(January 2009, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
22nd Tehran International Book Fair and provincial fairs
 Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) is known to the International Publishing World as the most important publishing event in Asia and the Middle East. It is a place where the publishers directly supply books and negotiate for their future business. It is also a venue for exchange of ideas and a commercially valuable exhibition.
The First Tehran International Book Fair was launched in 1987 and was welcomed by those interested in books and book reading. Following the successful experience of Tehran International Book Fair and in order to expand the culture of books and book reading in other parts of the country, the first Provincial Book Fair was launched in September 1992. Since then, 101 provincial book fairs have so far been convened in 30 provinces.
The 22nd TIBF will be held from May 2nd 2009 in Tehran Mosalla Site where a large number of Iranians will be able to satisfy their literary needs.
(January 2009, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts to Host Calligraphy Event
Tehran's Museum of Contemporary Arts has recently put on display traditional instruments used for calligraphy along with an exhibition of Persian calligraphy works created by the country's master artists.
The event, which opened on July 5, honoured two renowned calligraphy masters, Hassan and Hossein Amirkhani. The calligraphy tools, which include various kinds of pens, penholders, penknives, and scissors, were part of private collections. Works by a number of leading calligraphy masters have also be featured at the event.
Nastaliq is one of the main genres of Islamic calligraphy. It was developed in Iran in the 14th and 15th centuries and has been popular in Persian, Turkish, and South Asian cultures. Seminars on traditional and contemporary art of Persian calligraphy will also be held on the sidelines of the month-long event which runs until August 5th.
Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry's Office for Visual Arts, the Association of Iranian Calligraphers, and the Visual Arts Department of Tehran's Art Bureau are the co-sponsors of the event.
(July 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
22nd International Film Festival for Children and Young Adults
22nd International Film Festival for Children and Young Adults was held in Hamedan from 21 to 25 July 2008. According to the festival's secretary, "This year's festival focused on 'Children and Resistance'. So, 22 Palestinian children as well as 22 from other countries were attending the event as guests."
The children participating in the Festival expressed support for Palestinian kids.
In a letter to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), they appealed to the UN to help Palestinian, Iraqi and Afghan children. Meanwhile, tributes were paid to a number of cinema and TV artists, at the inaugural ceremony .They included acclaimed filmmaker Majid Majidi, actor Reza Naji, who won the Silver Bear for best actor at the 58th Berlin International Film festival, and Mehdi Faqih, a veteran puppet theatre artist.
A total of 272 short and feature films from 39 countries including Argentina, Germany, England, Austria, China, France and Greece were screened at the Festival.
(July 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
Iranian illustrations on display in the 2nd Biennial of Zagreb, Croatia
Works by ten Iranian children's books illustrators were displayed in the 2nd Croatian Biennial of Illustration in Zagreb from 3 June to 27 July. The works have been selected from among 60 books including "Mazan", "Blue-Eyed Little Boy", and "The City of Snakes" by Farshid Mesqali, the winner of the Andersen Prize, "The Princess Who Could Not Smile" by Narges Mohammadi, the winner of the 2nd prize at Noma Concours 2006, "Kuti Kuti Stories" by Hoda Haddadi, and "Big Soldier, Little Commander" by Mahkameh Shabani.
The artworks have been selected and sent by the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (KANOON).
The biennial is organised under UNESCO support and in cooperation with the Croatian Section of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People).
Illustrations by 130 artists from across the globe including Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, Serbia, and Italy have been exhibited for a month in the event.
For further information please visit:
http://www.galerijaklovic.hr/biennale_ilustracije/
(July 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
21st Tehran International Book Fair
The 21st Tehran International Book Fair officially opened on April 30th. Over 2,500 international and domestic publishers were represented at the event in Mosala, in central Tehran.
The deputy manager of the 21st Tehran International Book Fair announced that 1,670 local publishers have been allocated their pavilions for the event.
A number of international Islamic scholars and Iranologists are also visiting the Tehran book fair.
There are a number of meetings on international marketing, intended to enhance coordination between Iranian publishers and their foreign counterparts during the exhibition.
During the book fair, there are a number of activities happening simultaneously such as conferences, meetings with the authors, book signing and workshops.
On May 4th at the fairground, Alain Bailhache, a prominent French illustrator and the author of a newly released children's fiction titled "Two Friends" published by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children & Young Adults, met with the children at the institute's stand to sign his book for them.
Also, there are workshops on "The Joy of Reading" held by the Swiss Publishers Association, Swiss Arts Council and Swiss Institute for Children's and Youth Media, at the Children's Museum of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children & Young Adults, conducted by Christine Holliger, Director of the Swiss Institute for Children's and Youth Media on May 6th and 7th.
(May 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
The 3rd Anniversary of "The House of Librarians for Children and Young People for the Promotion of Reading" in Tehran
The Children's Book Council (CBC) was founded in 1962. It became the Iranian National Section of IBBY in 1964 and has since been active in different aspects of children's literature. In 2005 CBC was invited to extend its promotion activities in a new location by a benevolent family. This new red brick building was named the "Khaneh ketabdar koodak va nowjavan va tarvije khandan" (House of librarians for children and young people and the promotion of reading). Administered by a council, relying only on voluntary work and donations, "khaneh" employs 2 full time librarians, and runs a very active public library with more than 1000 young members. More than 120 mothers have joined the adult library, and the afternoons are filled with exciting cultural programmes.
Workshops designed to train librarians and reading promoters, facilitators of traditional games, disadvantaged and disabled children and young people help raise professional standards, public awareness and civic responsibility.
On March 4 2008 "khaneh" celebrated its 3rd anniversary. Packed with children and adults enjoying the programme, it clearly showed that it is well accepted and appreciated by the community.
For more information, you may visit the following sites;
www.cbc.ir
www.hlpr.ir
(May 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
German schoolchildren in Iran
A group of German children affiliated to an educational institute in Germany, and a number of their teachers, were invited to Iran by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults to hold a three-day workshop in Isfahan Province.
 In this workshop the group, along with a group of Iranian children, performed a play based on the Brothers Grimm classic fairy tale "Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs at Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan.
Iranian children also entertained the German group with a theatrical adaptation of the Iranian folk tale "Mah-Pishuni".
The German group visited a number of historical sites and monuments of the province as well as handicrafts, carpet-weaving, and pottery workshops.
The group became familiar with Iranian culture and traditions during their stay
The visit was their first to a country in the Asian continent.
(May 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
A Selection of Artworks by Contemporary Iranian Artists on Display at the Palazzo della Ragione, Mantua, Italy April 5-April 20, 2008
 Drawing and narration are in the spotlight at the exhibition at Palazzo delle Ragione in Mantua, Italy. This prestigious venue welcomes a selection of the most significant contemporary works taken from the volumes of Iranian narrators that have received international honourable mentions and awards.
"And You, Cock, Why Don't You Fly?" is the title of the exhibit, taken from the verses of Nima Yushij, the prominent Iranian poet. It conveys the theme of flight as a no-man's land that belongs to no-one.
This exhibition displays recent works of some of the finest Iranian illustrators for children's literature. The rich history and culture of Iran is presented through the works of these famous illustrators, who have been able to create many splendid and extraordinary books using a variety of techniques and a broad range of trends and styles.
This collection has been chosen and sent by KANOON/The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, according to their originality and their artistic and technical merit.
Accompanying the route by pictures is the site-specific installation by Gianluca Cingolani, "SONO_GRAMMA_CUBICO", composed by assembling acoustic materials.
Organising of the exhibition and editing of the catalogue is done by the Serendipità Società Cooperativa Edizioni Italy, and Dept. of Int'l Affairs of KANOON , Iran with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Mantova.
(April, 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
Portugal displays Iranian illustrations
Children's book illustrators from all over the world are invited to take part in the Barreiro Biennial Children's Book Illustration Competition by sending 3 original unpublished or recently published works every two years.
Iranian children's book illustrators have gained popularity in Portugal because of their active participation in Barreiro's previous International Biennial of Children's Book Illustrations and have won awards and honourable mentions. Since the first edition of ILLUSTRATE -Biennial International Exhibition of Children's Book Illustrations in 2003, the intense activity of Iranian artists in this field became apparent.
In 2007, by the deadline for receiving artworks for the ILUSTRATE Competition, again Iran was one of the countries with the largest number of participants, 160 illustrators. The works by two Iranian illustrators Narges Mohammadi and Morteza Zahedi were selected for the exhibition from amongst the entries from 50 different countries for the Barreiro ILLUSTRATE 2007 Competition.
The high average quality of the works suggested to the organisers of this event the possibility of holding an exhibition exclusively dedicated to contemporary Iranian illustration. It is a unique opportunity to show to the Portuguese public the original artworks of 40 artists from this country.
The current exhibition is being held at Barreiro's cultural centre and is titled "One Thousand and One Nights", displaying the artworks of forty Iranian artists. This exhibition started on March 15th and will continue till May 15th 2008.
The works cover a wide range of subjects and combine classical and modern Persian stories to introduce Iran's culture.
(April 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
Tehran Hosts the Heads of ECO National Libraries
 Tehran was the host of the first meeting of the Heads of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) National Libraries on 3 December 2007.
It was inaugurated with a message from the Iranian President, and in the presence of representatives of heads of national libraries of ECO member countries.
Pointing out in his message that ECO member countries enjoy many common cultural heritage values, the President further mentioned the positive role of national libraries as the cultural and scientific memory of nations and the necessity that they should collaborate in different areas of documentation or librarianship in order to provide an opportunity for the researchers to utilise current cultural treasures.
He also expressed hope that Iran wishes to see tighter links between the hearts and minds of the ECO member states to revive their enormous role in revolutionizing their civilisation.
The president of ECO Cultural Institute also mentioned the importance of unity in the era of globalisation. He mentioned that since the national library of each country is considered the mother of the other libraries in each country, the gathering of national libraries of ECO countries will create a united cultural centre in the region.
Ms. Junko Taniguchi, Programme Specialist for Culture in UNESCO Tehran Cluster
Office also expressed her satisfaction at holding such a meeting and recognised its importance
in promoting the libraries and their cooperation as a key factor in the development of science
in the region. "In today's world, we have a severe need for dialogue among cultures. Therefore,
UNESCO appreciates Iran's efforts to organise such a meeting for the first time." , she said.
Priorities on the agenda at this meeting were establishment of a union of national libraries and archives of member states; cooperation among member states on scientific, technical and cultural aspects of national libraries; arranging of training courses on archives and libraries; holding an annual exhibition on library and archive affairs, etc.
Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is an intergovernmental regional organisation established in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey for the purpose of promoting economic, technical and cultural cooperation among the Member States. In 1992, the Organization was expanded to include seven new members, namely: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
(March 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
11th Storytelling Festival in Shiraz, Iran
The Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults organises Storytelling Festivals every year. The 11th International Storytelling Festival was held in Shiraz, Fars Province, from 19 to 21 December 2007.
75 national Storytellers as well as 10 foreign storytellers took part in the festival.
Representatives from five regions of the country, top individuals along with selected storytellers from 720 branches of the institute nationwide who had already competed were among these 75 storytellers.
There were also well-known storytellers from France, Norway, Lebanon, Egypt, Brazil, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Holland.
Specialised workshops and a seminar, and the special focus of the Festival was the tales and parables of the great Iranian mystic and poet Molana Jalaleddin Rumi.
(March 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
Astan-e Qods Library and Iraq's Kashif al-Ghita Institute sign MOU
Iran's Astan-e Qods Razavi Library and Iraq's Kashif al-Ghita Cultural Institute recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Mashhad, Iran.
The Head of the Astan-e Qods Razavi organisation, said that the memorandum will help raise the scientific standards of both countries.
"The exchange of microfilms, lithographs and micro-images of manuscripts and geographical maps of the two countries kept at the venues are amongst the resolutions laid down in the MOU," he noted.
He also mentioned that the Astan-e Qods Library houses a great number of copies of invaluable manuscripts. Experts on rare books and ancient handwritten documents, skilled in the arts of renovation and preservation, are eager to exchange knowledge and experience with their counterparts at the Kashif al-Ghita Cultural Institute.
The Astan-e Qods Razavi Library houses over 78,000 copies of rare Islamic manuscripts.
(March 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
Iranian children's institutions to commemorate Rumi
Persian mystic and poet Molana Jalal ad-Din Rumi was commemorated by the Children's Book Council and the Association of Children's Books Illustrators in the Iranian Artists Forum on 8 December during a weeklong programme.
There was an exhibition displaying paintings and sculptures made by children based on stories found in Rumi's works.
Other collections of illustrations depicting tales Rumi narrated in his poetry were also showcased at the galleries of this forum.
There were sessions to familiarise children with Rumi's works and encourage them to create paintings based on their perceptions of the tales.
The program comprised seminars during which some renowned children's writers delivered speeches.
The Children of Iran Band performed a musical version of "The Merchant and his Clever Parrot", a story from Rumi, as part of the celebration.
In addition, "The Elephant in the Dark," a film produced by the Children's Book Council which was based on another tale from Rumi, had been screened during the week.
(March 2008, Leili Hayeri Yazdi, APPREB correspondent)
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