Reading from Official Calendar to Daily Life/ Isfahan’s New Approach in Book Week

Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) Provincial Service – Kouroush Dibaj: Every year in mid-Aban (October/November), Iran’s Book Week becomes an opportunity for cultural policymakers, publishers, booksellers, and reading enthusiasts to review their relationship with books and reading once again. This week is not merely a reminder on the country’s cultural calendar, but rather a reflection of the state of book life in provinces and cities; a place where one can gauge the true temperature of ‘reading culture’ through the type of planning and institutional participation.

Isfahan Province, with a rich history in publishing, bookselling, and intellectual production, has always been a reference point for holding book-related events. With its cultural and social background, this city has strived every year to transform Book Week from a symbolic occasion into an an opportunity to redefine people’s relationship with books.

On the eve of this year’s Book Week, an IBNA reporter interviewed Mohammad Ali Jafari, the Cultural and Media Deputy of the General Directorate of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Isfahan Province, to examine the approaches, goals, and new perspective of this directorate on promoting reading culture in urban and social contexts.