Translating Persian literature into ... Arabic

       In Al Monitor they have a wide-ranging Q & A with Ghassan Hamdan, Iraqi writer brings Persian literature to Arab world.
       Interesting to hear about what he translates, and the conditions -- including that not all that long ago:

The reason I chose Syria's Ministry of Culture was because it was a government organization and had a budget allocated for translating and publishing world literature. The private publishers, however, were not interested.

       Also interesting (if less surprising):

As far as publications are concerned, yes, there are publications everywhere, even in the poorest Arab countries, such as Yemen, Mauritania and Sudan. Publication is not the problem. Distribution is.