Radio Farhang; Daily Narration of the World of Books and Thought

According to Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), Mansoureh Kordi, director of Radio Farhang’s History and Thought Group, explained in introducing the ‘Ketab Farhang’ program, which airs live daily at 8 PM from this group: ‘Ketab Farhang is an auditory magazine that, with a different topic and research-oriented approach each day, familiarizes the audience with the latest books, contemporary writers, and intellectual currents.’ She emphasized that the main goal of this radio magazine is to create a path for a more accurate understanding of written sources, attention to new research, and expansion of the listener’s intellectual horizon; a path that Radio Farhang has diligently pursued in recent years.

She continued by referring to the change in the program’s time and its visual broadcast during Book Week, saying: ‘Indeed, during the 33rd Book Week of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the ‘Ketab Farhang’ program will be broadcast visually from November 15th to 19th (Aban 24 to 28) at 6 PM, with diverse segments including discussions with authors, librarians, and cultural officials of the country, reviewing activities and programs related to promoting reading culture. Also, in connection with provincial centers, the latest reports on Book Week programs and events across the country will be communicated.’

She named ‘Ahval-e Ketab’ as another book-centered program of the network, stating: ‘On Thursdays at 5 PM, Radio Farhang’s Literature and Art Group hosts the Ahval-e Ketab program; a program produced by Rooya Valizadeh and performed by Seyed Mehrdad Ziyaee, an actor, writer, and researcher.’ She added: ‘This program has been produced with the aim of elucidating the place of books in society and de-familiarizing stereotypical and repetitive views on the subject of books, striving to transform the experience of encountering books into a fresh and different experience for today’s audience. According to the director of the History and Thought Group, the ‘Ahval-e Ketab’ program is one of the successful radio formats in presenting new narratives of books and inviting the audience to re-read the experience of studying; a program that combines dialogue, analysis, and narration, and for this reason, has managed to find a steady audience.

Kordi, in another part of her speech, introduced the ‘Sim o Zar’ program and added: ‘On Mondays at 12:30 PM, Radio Farhang’s waves are dedicated to the Sim o Zar program; a program produced by Farideh Goudarzi, performed by Amin Khorrami, and narrated by Fatemeh Es’haqtabar, whose main focus is book critique and introduction in the form of interviews with authors.’

Explaining that this program features interviews with writers from various fields including short stories, novels, literary texts, cultural works, and social books, she said: ‘Sim o Zar is an effort to bring the audience closer to the behind-the-scenes creation of books and to re-recognize the journey from idea formation to the final work.’

The director of Radio Farhang’s History and Thought Group also discussed the ‘Kimiaye Kalemat’ program, explaining: ‘On Fridays at 1:30 PM, the Kimiaye Kalemat program, with expert execution by Bahram Parvin Gonabadi, a writer and literary critic, and produced by Farideh Goudarzi, is broadcast on Radio Farhang.’ She considered this program one of the radio’s most serious efforts in re-reading ancient Persian texts and added: ‘In Kimiaye Kalemat, not only are masterpieces of Iranian classical literature reviewed, but contemporary research on these texts is also examined and analyzed, making it one of the programs effective in preserving the Persian language and literature.’

According to Kordi, this program is a bridge between the past and present of the Persian language; a bridge that helps today’s listener connect with the roots of this language, its literary heritage, and its capacities in shaping contemporary culture.

Overall, Radio Farhang, by producing a diverse set of book-centered programs, strives to redefine the culture of reading in an auditory and accessible format for all segments of society, and to provide opportunities for discussion and reflection on books for its audience.