Vol. 73/No. 24      June 22, 2009

Books from some 3,600 publishers were available. Among the exhibitors was Pathfinder Books, London, which had 30 percent higher sales than at last year’s fair. Farsi translations of Pathfinder Press titles—produced by local publishers—also did well.

The exhibition hall with Farsi-language books was the most popular and solidly packed area from opening at 10:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m. each night.

Two other halls had books available from 1,700 publishers from 78 countries. One had books subsidized by the Iranian government, making them more accessible to college students, academics, and professionals. Several countries such as Turkey and China had large government-sponsored stands promoting cultural links with Iran.  
 
Revolution opened culture
The book fair was a by-product of the 1979 Iranian revolution, in which workers and farmers overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty, a key ally of the U.S. and British governments in the region. The last shah in the dynasty had been brought back to power in 1953 after the country’s democratically elected government was overthrown through a coup engineered by Washington. The 1979 revolution opened up to millions access to culture and literature denied to them by the pro-imperialist monarchy.

There was rising interest in the Pathfinder Books stand in the unsubsidized hall. The distributorship in the United Kingdom has now participated in the fair since 1992. This year its sales totaled some 244 books and pamphlets.

Titles that addressed the world capitalist crisis drew many to the stand. A substantial number of those visiting the Pathfinder booth expressed interest in politics in the United States. They wanted to know whether the election of U.S. president Barack Obama would improve relations with Iran. Others were also keen to learn about the class struggle in the United States.

Several were interested in reading articles from issue number 14 of New International, a Marxist magazine, including an article about former U.S. president William Clinton’s antilabor legacy and the roots of the 2008 financial crisis, and an article titled “Revolution, Internationalism, and Socialism: The Last Year of Malcolm X,” which provides an example of the character of revolutionary leadership that can be forged in the United States. Some 14 copies of this title were sold.  
 
Working-class politics
The Pathfinder stand sold all its 35 English-language copies of Is Socialist Revolution in the U.S. Possible? Many book fair visitors were fascinated to learn about the big May Day marches that since 2006 have been taking place in the United States. They demand legalization of all immigrants and show the potential for revolutionary struggle in the United States that the booklet addresses.

One Tehran University student who bought this title first grabbed a copy of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. He commented, “This has always been my aim to get this book.” Some 16 copies were sold in all.

Another popular title was Art and Revolution by Leon Trotsky, which looks at the place of art and culture in the fight for socialist revolution. Several who picked up this book were studying literature at universities.

Some 15 copies of the new Pathfinder title Capitalism and the Transformation of Africa were sold. Many were attracted to learning about the volunteer Cuban medical brigades in Africa described in this book. Other titles on the Cuban Revolution were also snapped up. There was also a great deal of interest in a range of Pathfinder books on the international struggle for women’s equality.

Visitors to the Pathfinder booth came from throughout the country, including from Isfahan, Khuzestan, Kurdistan, Azerbaijan, and the Caspian Sea region. Several Afghani students studying in Iran bought books. Fair participants from Nigeria, Sudan, and Kazakhstan also expressed interest in Pathfinder books.

Pathfinder stand representative Tony Hunt was interviewed by Sahar TV and also by Radio Sedaye Ashna. Both broadcast outside of Iran.

Farsi translations of Pathfinder titles were available too. At the stand run by the Tehran publishing house Golâzin, a prominent stack of the first part of a three-volume translation of Evelyn Reed’s Woman’s Evolution was on sale. A colorful poster of the front cover adorned the wall at the side of the stand. The publisher reported interest was high in the book.

The publisher Talaye Porsoo said that their newly published edition of the Communist Manifesto had topped their sales with some 200 copies; overall they sold some 937 books covering some 23 titles. Top sellers included 127 copies of Socialism and Man in Cuba, 88 copies of Feminism and the Marxist Movement, and 41 copies of Capitalism’s Long Hot Winter Has Begun.
 
 
Related articles:
Broad political debate opens in Iran presidential elections  
 
 
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