TEHRAN – A Russian translation of the commendation of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for Japanese-Iranian cultural figure Koniko Yamamura’s memoir “An Immigrant from the Land of the Sun” was unveiled on Friday at the 35th Moscow International Book Fair.

Several Iranian officials, including Deputy Culture Minister for Cultural Affairs Yaser Ahmadvand and Ambassador Kazem Jalali, were in attendance at the unveiling ceremony.

The Persian edition of the commendation was made public last Wednesday at Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting’s International Conference Hall.

“The compelling and dramatic life story of this brave lady has appeared in Hamid Hesam’s fine and influential writing,” the Leader wrote in a commendation dating back to May.

He called the book “very readable and enlightening” and advised that Yamamura’s memoir be turned into a film.

Written by Hamid Hesam based on extensive interviews with Yamamura, who was known by her Iranian name Saba Babai following her marriage to an Iranian, the book was published by Sureh-Mehr in 2020.

In this book, Yamamura recounts how she chose to live in Iran and her life after her son Mohammad Babai was martyred during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. 

“The Supreme Leader is accustomed to writing commendations for books and it has become a cultural tradition for him,” Jalali said at the unveiling ceremony of the Russian edition of Leader’s commendation for “An Immigrant from the Land of the Sun”.

“The praise for the book is one of the most important examples of his commendations,” he noted and added, “Koniko Yamamura married an Iranian man and gave birth to a child who was martyred in the war; she was not a sole mother but she worked in many areas and became a role model.”

On his part, Ahmadvand said, “Words are soldiers who never die and the top envoys of each country are books.”

Iran is showcasing over 150 bestselling titles of its latest offerings at the 35th edition of the Moscow International Book Fair, which will be running at the Gostiny Dvor Exhibition Complex through September 5.

Photo: Ambassador Kazem Jalali (3rd R), Deputy Culture Minister for Cultural Affairs Yaser Ahmadvand (2nd L), writer Hamid Hesam (2nd R) and their colleagues applaud after unveiling the Russian translation of Ayatollah Khamenei’s commendation for “An Immigrant from the Land of the Sun” on September 2, 2022, at the 35th Moscow International Book Fair.

MMS/YAW