Since the revolution of 1979, the West has been virtually cut off from Iran’s culture. Despite war, repression, and censorship, there has been a cultural renaissance in Iran over the past 25 years, not only in literature, but also in music, art, and film. Now for the first time we have selections in translation from the work of over 50 men and women from three generations. This sampling—or to use the Farsi term golchine, a bouquet—provides a window onto an important but sorely neglected segment of world culture and will also serve to awaken further interest in the work of Iranian novelists and poets.

Over the past year, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury has issued a series of rulings asserting its authority to regulate the publication of works by authors who live in countries under U.S. trade embargoes, including Cuba, Iran, and Sudan. Publishers who violate OFAC regulations are subject to severe penalties: up to ten years in prison, and $1,000,000 in fines per violation.

By burdening speech and requiring publishers to seek government permission to publish, the OFAC regulations directly threaten the First Amendment rights of authors, publishers, and the reading public. In addition to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, these rights also include the freedom to read, freedom of thought, and freedom of inquiry. Congress exempted information and informational materials from trade embargoes specifically to protect these First Amendment rights.

The OFAC rulings are not only contrary to the letter and the spirit of the law, but injurious as well. Therefore the Association of American Publishers Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division, the Association of American University Presses, PEN American Center, and Arcade Publishing have filed suit in federal court asking for an immediate injunction against enforcement of the regulations.