After an absence of 10 years (following Iran's official endorsement of the death sentence decreed against Salman Rushdie for his satirical novel The Satanic Verses), Iranian publishers will again be able to exhibit at the upcoming 51st Frankfurt Book Fair (Oct. 13-18)-a result of the refusal of Iran's president Khatami to carry over official endorsement of the fatwah. At the same time, fair management is inviting two independent Iranian houses to exhibit without cost. The fair is also planning a panel, organized in cooperation with the International Publishers Association, to discuss the situation of writers and publishers in Iran.
In another event mixing books and politics, the fair will invite writers and intellectuals from the states and regions that composed Yugoslavia before its breakup, together with participants from neighboring Balkan states, to a meeting whose agenda will focus on setting up an organization spanning national and ethnic boundaries.
