IRBID — The 13th"Irbid Reads"
Festival started on Friday and will continue until next weekend.
The festival
is part of a group of book events held in a number of governorates
periodically, in which tens of thousands of books are presented at reasonable
prices and within the reach of citizens, with the aim of spreading culture and
a love of reading among the Jordanian public.
اضافة اعلان
The event is organized and run by Shadi Abu
Nasser, the owner of the most famous book booth in the city of Irbid, known as
"Shadi Cultural booth.”
In an interview with Jordan News, Abu Nasser said,
"This festival is the main one among a series of such events that is being
held in a number of governorates of Jordan, and its aim is to reflect the
cultural image of the people of Irbid in particular, and Jordan in general.”
As for this year, the festival was held after a
break due to what we have gone through during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that
is why the exhibition is very popular throughout the day until midnight.”
Discussing the festival's content, Abu Nasser
said, “We offer nearly forty thousand different books.
This number includes
books in literature, history, science, and many more (subjects). We also offer
books in different languages. It is not just about books, there is a special
section where we offer a wide range of book marks, and another section for
learning aids.”
"Since the reader is the mirror of the
author, we were keen to host a group of famous authors, and new ones in order
to support them and support their works, and to create a bridge of
communication between the reader and writer,” said the book vendor.
“This encourages people to attend and get to know
their favorite writers closely, and allows them to the opportunity to see what
other and new writers are offering in particular. Among the authors who
attended yesterday were Ayman Al-Atoum, Areej Al-Khasawneh, Maryam Al-Awrat,
and Issa Al-Khalidi.”
Abu Nasser made an effort to make the festival’s
prices accessible to all, especially during the difficult economic conditions
caused by the pandemic.
“We take into account the financial hardship that
Jordanian citizens are going through, which was caused by the COVID-19
pandemic, so we made sure that the prices were suitable for all groups,” he
said. “And we provided a large number of used books in good and excellent
condition for the purpose of reducing prices, and enabling individuals to
obtain everything they need without worrying about what they will pay."
"This plan was very successful, as we found a
great demand, and [customers] were satisfied with the prices, and we did not
receive any complaints about this matter.”
The festival faced its own financial challenges
before it came to fruition. "We do not receive any support from any
governmental or private entity,” said the organizer. “Thus, the financial costs
on us are very large, as the rent of the event hall reaches JD1,200, and if we
add the other expenses of shipping, staff, marketing and advertising, then the
total amount is up to JD3,000 per week.”
A visitor, Maryam Al-Shayyab, said: "The most
beautiful thing about this festival is that it is not directed to one group, as
I come here to buy books that suit my interests, and then look for books for my
children. Children's books here are very diverse, and their purposes are
entertainment and educational, so I do not hesitate to offer my children any
book from here, as I am sure of their content.”
Another, Qassem Al-Hatim, said, "I find it
very difficult to buy books, as their prices often do not suit me. But here you
can find a large number of used books, which are often at simple prices, and
their condition is very good.
“Even new books can be found at reasonable prices,
but this does not apply to all books, of course.”
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