BOOK TRANSLATION PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT FOR

UNCLAS AMMAN 002163

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IIP/G/NEA/SA (WINCHESTER); IIP/G/AF (COX);
NEA/PPD (BENZE, AGNEW)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KIRC KPAO OIIP OPRC JO
SUBJECT: BOOK TRANSLATION PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT FOR
FY-05

REF: STATE 6778


1. Summary: Embassy Amman's Arabic Book Program
translated and published nine titles by American
authors in Arabic during FY-05. The copyright
permission for all these titles was obtained by the
post and agreements were signed between U.S. and
local publishers. We sent out over 10,000 books to
libraries and American Corners. Through the program,
the publishers we work with printed a total of
22,500 copies of those titles and sold over 30% of
those books commercially.


2. Listed below is each book title, author, print
run and the support funds.

1) "Crescent" by Diana Abu Jaber, 2500 copies, I
BUCKS.

2) "Watching the Wind" by Suzan Collin Marks, 2500
copies, I BUCKS.

3) "Let It Shine" by Andrea Davis Pinkney, 2500
copies, I BUCKS.

4) "A Journey to Paradise" by Anne Siberell, 2500
copies, I BUCKS.

5) "Bravo, Brava! A Night at the Opera: Behind the
Scenes with Composers, Cast and Crew" by Anne
Siberell, 2500 copies, I BUCKS.

6) "Culture and Democracy in the United States:
Studies in Ethnicity" by Horace M. Kallen, 2500
copies, I BUCKS.

7) "Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in
International Politics" by Margaret E. Keck and
Kathryn Sikkink, 2500 copies, I BUCKS.

8) "Natural Resources and Violent Conflict: Options
and Actions," a World Bank Book, 2500 copies,
Supplemented funds from NEA for the Arabic Book
Program (FY03).

9) "The Right to Tell: The Role of Mass Media in
Economic Development," a World Bank Book, 2500
copies, I BUCKS.


3. The Arabic Book Program publicly launched and
promoted six of the nine FY 05 titles. The program
hosted two speakers, Diana Abu Jaber, author of
"Crescent" in November 2004 and Anne Siberell,
author of "A Journey to Paradise" and "Bravo, Brava!
A Night at the Opera: Behind the Scenes with
Composers, Cast and Crew" in June 2005. The program
also organized a Digital Video Conference for women
activists from Jordanian NGOs with Dr. Kathryn
Sikkink author of "Activists Beyond Borders" in
November 2005. The title "The Right to Tell" was
launched in March 2005 through a media workshop with
leading journalists and media figures in the Jordan.
The program also organized a book reading for
schoolchildren at a children's bookshop in Amman to
launch the title "Let it Shine." All those events
witnessed excellent turn out and reached out to two
important mission target groups: youth and civil
society.


4. The Arabic Book Program sent out a total of
10,273 books to libraries and American Corners in
the region. Out of this number, we provided
approximately 5000 books to all the regions in Iraq,
as well as to African posts such as Dakar and
Bamako. The program arranged for the display of our
titles at the major book fairs in Cairo, Casablanca,
Tunis, and Damascus. We constantly receive book
orders and hear positive feedback from posts.


5. Our book publishers report that to date they have
sold over 30% of the above titles.


6. For further information, please contact Arabic
Book Program Specialist Ruba Hattar, Tel: 962-6-590-
6050, Fax: 962-6-590-0121, E-mail:
hattarrh@state.gov. You can also check our page on
the Amman Embassy website:
http://amman.usembassy.gov.

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