TEHRAN -- The director of the literature department of the Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Works and Values said that only 6500 Sacred Defense books have been published over the past 25 years, a number that is not sufficient.

Hossein Nasrollah Zanjani gave a briefing on the department’s activities in a ceremony reviewing books and poetry on Sacred Defense (1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war), the Persian service of Fars News Agency reported on Friday.
Zanajni said that publication of over 6000 books on Sacred Defense is far below expectations because millions of soldiers and combatants fought in the war.
“In the field of fiction stories, less than 1000 titles have been produced, which is regrettable. Poetry numbers are similar,” he added.
“In the field of research works, the situation is even worse. Only 200 works including research works on art, political and social issues have been published over the years,” he continued.
Zanjani asked all organizations, especially the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, to increase their output of Sacred Defense literature and announced that the foundation stands ready for any sort of collaborative effort.