イランの出版危機　米経済制裁下で紙価格高騰

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】イランは核開発計画に対する国際制裁で深刻な経済危機に陥っているが、文学好きの人々は新刊小説につかの間の安らぎを見いだしてきた。（写真はイラン・テヘランの書店）
　しかし今や、良書に没頭することさえ難しくなっている。紙の価格が急騰し、資金力のない出版社にとっては本を刊行するのも容易ではないからだ。
　出版社「オフォ」の経営者レザ・ハシェミネジャッド氏によると、例えば昨年は１．６ドル（約１８０円）だった２００ページの小説１冊分の価格は現在２ ． ５倍する。「ほとんどが生産コストです」
　イランは製紙用パルプの国内生産がなく輸入に頼っている。パルプの輸入は制裁対象ではないが、支払いは外貨で行う必要がある。つまり、書籍の価格はイラン・リアルの変動に直接左右される。
　そのため出版社は刊行する書籍の数を減らすだけではなく、フォントサイズを縮小して印刷するページ数まで減らしている。
　出版社「フーパ」の文庫編集部長エミリー・アムライ氏は「出版業界は大きな危機に見舞われています。存亡が懸かっていると言ってもいいかもしれません」と語る。
　イラン政府は核兵器開発の意図をずっと否定してきたが、米国は２０１８年、ドナルド・トランプ政権下で、イランの核兵器保有を阻止するための多国間合意から一方的に離脱。続けて、厳しい対イラン経済制裁を再開した。「米国の制裁が２０１８年に再開されるや否や、紙の値段が上がりました」とアムライ氏は言う。

■在庫分が底を突いたら…

　イランでは書籍の価格が固定されているため、もうけは急激に変動する紙の価格次第だ。
　「原稿を受け取り、レイアウトを決め、本の値段を設定している間に紙の価格が突然上昇したら、もうけがゼロになることもあり得ます」とハシェミネジャッド氏は言う。
　イランの書店は一見したところ、世界中の書店と変わらない。国内作家の棚はもちろん、外国作品を含む人気書籍のコーナーには、２０世紀の欧州の名作から自己啓発や心理学の本まで並ぶ。
　最近、売れ行きが良かったのは、トランプ前米大統領のめい、メアリー・トランプ氏が書いた叔父に関する暴露本や、ミシェル・オバマ元米大統領夫人の回想録のペルシャ語訳などだ。
　しかし経済危機が深まるにつれ、小規模出版社の一部は廃業を余儀なくされた。一方、大手出版社は生き延びるために適応を強いられた。
　今はまだ用紙の価格高騰前に印刷した在庫分で持っている。だが、「２～３か月で在庫分が底を突いたら、読者は新しい値段を見てショックを受けるだろう」とハシェミネジャッド氏は懸念する。
　専門家によると、コスト上昇による影響はさらに広範に及びそうだ。もともと本を入手しにくい貧困地域の子どもたちは、間もなく本を一切買えなくなってしまうだろうとハシェミネジャッド氏は話した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/03/01-13:38）

For literature lovers in sanction-hit Iran, a new novel has long provided a brief respite from a grinding economic crisis triggered by international pressure imposed over Tehran's contested nuclear programme.
But now losing yourself in a good book is becoming harder, as cash-strapped publishers struggle because the price of paper is soaring.
If a 200-page novel sold for 400,000 rials ($1.60) last year, its price today is 1,000,000 rials ($4.10), most of which is the cost of production, said Reza Hasheminejad, who runs the Ofoq publishing house.
Iran does not produce its own paper pulp for publishing so relies on imports, and while those are not under sanctions, they must be paid for in foreign currency. That means the price of a book depends directly on the fluctuation of Iran's rial.
So publishers are not only slashing the number of titles published, but also cutting the number of pages of those they do print by shrinking the font size.
Publishing has suffered a major crisis -- which could become existential, said Emily Amrai, collection director at the Houpa publishing house.
While publishers worldwide face growing challenges to the way people read and consume literature, Iran is facing an extra problem.
The United States, under former president Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew in 2018 from a landmark accord to prevent Iran from acquiring an atomic bomb -- a goal Tehran has always denied pursuing -- with Washington then reimposing tough economic sanctions.
As soon as the US sanctions were reinstated in 2018, the price of paper rose, Amrai said.
- 'A miracle' -
Long-running negotiations to revive a deal with Iran continue in Austria, but until an international agreement turns the page, the impact of sanctions grows worse.
The devaluation of our currency against the greenback, the global rise in the price of paper paid in dollars and the increase in the cost of transport -- also paid in foreign currency -- has plunged publishing into the doldrums, said Hossein Motevali, owner of Houpa, which specialises in children's books.
Because book prices are fixed in Iran, profits are pegged to the rapidly fluctuating price of paper.
Between receiving the manuscript, laying it out, and setting the price of the book, I can lose everything if the price of paper has gone up suddenly, Hasheminejad said.
That happens because I'm at the mercy of the fluctuation of the currencies.
As for the authors, they are paid by the number of the pages in the book, whether they are famous or not.
Selling books is a miracle today, because the majority of customers belong to the middle class -- and given the economic conditions, their priority is to obtain essential goods such as food, said Hasheminejad. I really wonder how people still buy books at these prices.
Bookstores in Iran look similar to shops anywhere in the world. As well as shelves of Iranian writers, popular sellers include translations of foreign works -- from 20th century European classics to self-help and psychology books.
Farsi translations of Mary Trump's tell-all on her uncle Donald Trump, as well as the memoir of former US first lady Michelle Obama, have been recent hits.
- 'Shock' -
But as the crisis deepens, several small publishing houses have been driven out of business.
Today, many independent publishers, who have published excellent works, have been eliminated from the market, said Amrai.
Larger publishing houses have had to adapt to survive.
We have reduced our profits by as much as possible in order to keep our customers, we have reduced printing and pagination, and publish digital books to avoid paper and reduce costs, said Hasheminejad.
But that will only last a year or two, for even the most solid companies.
So far, books printed before recent spikes in paper costs provided a buffer, but those stocks are running low.
In a few months, when the books stored in the depots are exhausted, it will be a shock for the customer when they see the new prices, Hasheminejad warned.
On Enghelab Street, Tehran's main book market, retired teacher Behjat Mazloumi, 60, already struggles to afford second-hand books.
I haven't been able to buy a book for years, said Mazloumi. Even street vendors sell books at a very high price.
The cost rise will have wider impacts too, experts say.
Children in poorer areas where access to literature is already limited will soon find themselves priced out completely, Hasheminejad said.
Today, we see people in some disadvantaged areas who cannot even communicate properly in Farsi, he said. They will certainly experience difficulties.