Some Iranians still do not know that the spoken language of their neighboring country, Afghanistan, is Persian!!
“Afghanistan is still unknown for majority of Iranians and even some Iranians still do not know that our language is Persian!!” said The head of the khaneh-e-kudakan-e-Afghanistan (Home of Afghanistan Children) publication. In an interview with ISNA, Nader Mousavi explained about the number of people who visit the booth of ‘Home of Afghanistan Children’ publication at the 32nd Tehran International Book Fair. Our publication presents its books in this exhibition for the sixth year, and this is the first year that we participate as Amu Publishing. A publication that specializes in poetry and literature in Afghanistan. We had more visits last year. This year, in these few days, we expected more attentions to our booth. This year, our booth location is not suitable. While there are many visitors to the exhibition, our booth is located in a far apart corner out of the way. No one would guess there will be a booth in here at all, only sometimes someone finds here coincidentally. As a result, our expectations have not been met. He added: “Last year we complained that the location of our publishing booth in the exhibition was not so appropriate, but this year our booth is placed in a far more inappropriate place, so that we say it was much better last year.” A lot of money is spent on the book fair so that publishers can introduce their products to the audiences and the publishing industry flourishes and the authors and the publishers get encouraged to write and invest in publication. But if the books are not to be seen and sold at the book fair, this cycle will be ended here. This year, our expectations are not met and we are just sitting and waiting for visitors. Musavi then pointed the books published by the Home of Afghanistan Children publication and said:” We have tried to collect the best literary works of poetry and fiction in Afghanistan. We have a 20-volume collection of poetry and also a collection of about 42 volumes of stories by the best authors.” The head of the Home of Afghanistan Children Publication said that most of the Afghanistan’s poetry and story books are interesting for Iranian readers and added: A few years ago, at the Shahr-e-Aftab (the city of sun ) Book Fair, the number of public visitors passing by our booth was more And when the Iranian audience came to our booth and found out that we are publications from Afghanistan, it was interesting for them, and after reviewing our books and buying a few books, they often returned the next day to buy more books. A special feature of Afghanistan stories and poetries is that these works arise from the pains and sufferings that the poet or writer himself has seen and touched. If they are talking about migration, they have experienced it themselves; if they write about desolation, their own house has been destroyed or he has seen his loved ones killed at war and has tasted the bitterness of displacement. Despite all these tragedies, he has found the true love in the depths of his heart. In my opinion, this is one of the most important reasons why Iranians and other Persian speakers oat this amount of attention to the literature of Afghanistan. Although the Afghan refugees have been living in Iran for many years, Afghanistan is still unknown for Iranian, even some Iranians still do not know that we speak in Persian. Nader Musavi stated that in the past, Iranians never paid enough attention to the literature of Afghanistan and said: For example, a book ” The Kite Runner” changed the view of many Iranians towards Afghan society. And works like this should be presented, so that the people of Iran know that we have always had common roots and pains, and help afghans and Iranians to get more acquainted with each other’s pains and joys through literature. In response to this question: “the literature of Afghanistan how can be introduce after the book fair?” he said: Most of this is the responsibility of publishers. It is the advertising age, and even the best products will not be seen well without advertising. For example, we should participate in various exhibitions, even the provincial book fairs, and deliver these works to different publishers and bookstores, seminars and festivals should be held so that the Iranian readers can become more acquainted with the literature of Afghanistan.
