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Tehran’s biggest annual cultural event held amid ‘paper crisis’

The biggest annual cultural event in the Iranian capital kicks off amid a paper crisis and a controversy over rentierism tarnishing the publishing industry.
TEHRAN, IRAN - MAY 4, 2008: A young girl and her mother in colourful veils look at books in a hall, at the 21st Tehran International Book Fair on the city's congregational prayer site on May 4, 2008 in Tehran, Iran. The annual event showcases 200,000 titles from 1700 domestic and 840 international publishers from 75 countries. The books will be presented under categories for General, Academic, Educational and Children's books. (Photo by Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)

Organizers of the 32nd Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) have set the stage for the Iranian capital's greatest annual cultural event, despite the ongoing paper crisis that has afflicted domestic publishers, and the devastating recent floods that led to the closure of dozens of libraries across the country.

The 10-day TIBF will, nonetheless, kick off April 24 in Tehran's Mosalla prayer ground, and members of the TIBF's policy-setting council have picked the motto "Reading is ability" for the high-profile cultural event. But how costly is reading in sanction-stricken Iran?

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