As far back as the French Mandate, 'the authority to ban or not to ban'has been in the hands of the Surete Generale and not the Ministry of Culture, notes Rayyes, meaning that books can be confiscated, or censored for reasons which may not always be based on cultural or educational standards. In the past 10 years, shipping books in and out of the country has become increasingly difficult, according to publishers. Fellow publishers echo Rayyes' sentiments. Restrictions on freedom and democracy that you see in the Arab world shouldn't be found in Lebanon. Censorship has become suffocating.
Book fairs present a whole new problem for Lebanese publishers.
Rather than having one national book fair, as was the case before the war, Lebanon now has three. The Arab Cultural Club founded the original book fair some 40 years ago. It is traditionally hosted by the prime minister. After the war, two new fairs were established. The other is the Antelias book fair under the patronage of the president.