Pavilion holders often stunned at a market savvy Ayatollah Khamenei

1389/02/25-08:30

Mohsen Parviz, President of the 23^rd Tehran International Book Fair has reveled to the book fair's press office that a number of pavilion holders in the fairground were stunned at the broad knowledge of a visiting Ayatollah Khamenei concerning records and background of publications as well as debut titles.

The Islamic Revolution Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei inspected the 23^rd Tehran International Book Fair early morning Wednesday morning and talked with several publishers and authors about latest developments in the market as well as debut publications in Persian, either penned or translated.

Parviz noted that His Eminence found no chances for inspecting the previous edition of the book fair as he was on a provincial visit last year however he could pay an hours-long inspection to several pavilions in the latest edition.

The President said during the inspection, Ayatollah Khamenei meticulously checked out rows of books on the stalls and made enquiries to the pavilion holders about some titles which caught his attention, especially those which appeared to have undergone a debut print.

Parviz noted that a fervor on the part of pavilion directors to meet the Leader was a familiar story every edition and the fervor remain abound as His Eminence usually make an snap inspection, not leaving a chance for pavilion directors to show up.

"On the flip side, pavilion holders are regular staffs who suffer lack of sufficient knowledge about the publications and therefore, they fail to accommodate to several suggestions made by the IR Leader about a specific publication or debut work," Parviz said.

The chief of the bookseller event also reveled there was an enthusiasm on the part of pavilion holders to receive some memorial note from Ayatollah Khamenei, adding however that a positive response was near impossible on schedule grounds.

Nonetheless, according to Parviz, the holders' request was sometimes secured by grant of a spiritual souvenir, a checkered keffiyeh regularly worn by the Leader

Parviz went on to say that Ayatollah Khamenei had spent more time in several specific pavilions than in others, suggesting that titles on history and literature are more popular with him. "However, pavilions with a poor content on stalls received lesser attention in the inspection," Parviz noted.

Also a deputy of Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance in cultural affairs, Parviz said he had made an inventory of fine content on show wherever Ayatollah Khamenei lengthened his inspection and intends to purchase them in the earnest.

"Ayatollah Khamenei described the section he had inspected as favorable and offered several suggestions for a tidier pavilion arrangement," Parviz recounted.

During the inspection, the Islamic Revolution Leader was accompanied by Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Sayyid Muhammad Husseini, President of Tehran Book Fair, Mohsen Parviz, acting president, Ehsanollah Hojati and other directors and executives of the major Iranian event.