TEHRAN – Iran’s Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) plans to release audio versions of 23 young adult books narrated by some celebrated actors or voice actors in its new collection of audiobooks Ketab Ava. 

“The collection includes Persian translations of 13 foreign novels and 10 Persian novels,” Mansur Zabetian, Ketab Ava director said on Sunday.

He said that the main point in choosing the artists as narrators was their knowledge of literature.

“We believed that their knowledge would surely affect their narration, however, the voices of the actors and their popularity were also of importance in the project,” he said.

He added that the books are suitable for young adults above 12.

British writer John Christopher’s Tripods Trilogy “The White Mountains”, “The City of Gold and Lead” and “The Pool of Fire”, as well as Iranian novels “When Moji Was Lost” by Hamidreza Shahabadi, “Swimmer” by Abbas Abdi and “Love Song of Yunes in the Fish Belly” by Jamshid Khanian are among the books.

Zabetian emphasized the need for more audiobooks in the world of today and said, “Naturally, in the life of today, which is quick, fast and hard, we need to look for various methods to present literature.” 

“Applications have made things easier. On the other side, the publication of books costs too much and readers have less time to spend on reading books, and this way we can offer better works on literature, while visually-impaired individuals will have better access to literature,” he said.

He hoped that IIDCYA’s audiobooks would be warmly received by book readers and that more individuals will have the opportunity to get access to them.

Late March, IIDCYA released hundreds of books ranging from novels and historical books to audiobooks available on Taaghche, a major online Iranian bookstore.

Photo: Front cover of “Love Song of Yunes in the Fish Belly” by Jamshid Khanian, which is among the books IIDCYA has turned into audiobooks.

RM/MMS/YAW