(Source: http://ria.ru/culture/20140430/1005997352.html)

Russia will take part in the Teheran International Book Fair for the first time, it opens on Wednesday; the main theme of the exposition of the Russian Federation will be “The connection between two poetries: Russia and Iran”; the books for the fair were provided by about 30 leading Russian publishing houses, according to the official site of the Russian Book Union (RBU) organizing the Russian stand.

The Teheran Book Fair this year will last until May 10. It is considered one of the most important book events not only in Iran, but also in Asia and the Middle East. The annual fair is visited by more than five million readers.

“Interest for the centuries-old culture of Iran appeared in Russia in the end of XVIII century, with the publication of the first literary translations of classical Persian poetry in 1796. In the second half of the XIX century - the “Golden Age” of Russian literature – the interest for poetry and poetic folklore of Iran was reflected in the works by Pushkin, Maikov, Tyutchev, Fet ... Therefore, the main theme of the presentation of Russia is: “The connection between two poetries: Russia and Iran” - the statement said. It is noted that about 30 leading Russian publishing houses provided more than 600 books for the exhibition.

The “nugget” of the Russian stand will be the thematic exposition presenting the best examples of Iranian literature in Russian. It will also present art albums on the history of Russia, its culture, prominent figures, nature, art. The classics will also be present – the visitors of the exhibition will see the publications of works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and other great Russian writers.

An educational program is also prepared - a series of lectures and workshops are scheduled for students and post-graduate students of Russian language of the University of Teheran and the Islamic Azad University.