This post is by GSGF:
"I don't know what the book is about. But when the government bans a book, there is something interesting in it." Ahmad Abbasi says, forking out twice the book's price at an undisclosed location.
Life under an illegitimate regime like Iran's mullahs does have one benefit. You know when the government bans a book - it's got to be good. Especially one that made it through a first edition before the "Culture Ministry" caught the error.
"Memories of My Melancholy Whores" a Persian translation of Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel at first seems about as dangerous as listening to your 'rents Steely Dan box set.
Older guys trying to hook up with young hotties is the theme. Happens every Ladies Night in the Free World. Nothing major or government threatening - or is it?
In the Mohammedist preachers paradise of the Islamic Republic of Iran it is like Kryptonite in Smallville.
Culture Minister Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi has the sitch well in hand.
"Necessary measures have been taken to avoid reoccurrence of such a printing"
Such measures include sacking the censors for "negligence". Alas, the traditional despotic remedy may be too little too late. Over 5K copies have been printed and are selling out fast.
The novel of bummed out hoes deals with an old man who has been a customer of prostitutes his entire life. For his 90th Bday he wants to hook up with a 14 yo teenage virgin.
Just like a Steely Dan song - he falls hopelessly in love with her.
"The first edition has sold out but we were ordered not to publish the second edition," an employee with Niloofar Publications said Saturday, declining to give his name due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The Culture Ministry, whose censors are responsible to check the contents of books before print, said a "bureaucratic error" led to the government giving permission for the novel to be published.
Thankfully, Iran's faithful reported the oversight and the ban is now in place.
It was only banned after the Ministry of Culture received complaints from conservatives who believed the novel was promoting prostitution.
Far from driving the massess away from such blatant desire for Laffy Taffy literature, the ban may have actually backfired.
The ban has only provoked greater interest in the novel and on Saturday, copies of the book were being sold for more than twice their list price.
28yo Ahmad Abbasi says "I'm buying the book out of curiosity."
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Sources:
http://www.farsnews.com/English/farsnews.phphttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/17/AR2007111700810.html?sub=ARhttp://www.parstimes.com/gov_iran.htmlhttp://www.iran-press-service.com/ips/articles-2005/november-2005/culture_crackdown_261105.shtmlhttp://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/steely+dan/hey+nineteen_20130113.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGDHmDWe2iE
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