{
  "id": 3321588,
  "title": "Can a State Build a Reading Culture? Uzbekistan Is Trying.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/can-a-state-build-a-reading-culture-uzbekistan-is-trying",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-25T12:28:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Diplomat",
    "slug": "the-diplomat",
    "url": "https://thediplomat.com/2026/08/can-a-state-build-a-reading-culture-uzbekistan-is-trying/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2020, Uzbekistan established the Youth Affairs Agency with the goal of enhancing the intellectual and creative potential of young people while addressing challenges in the country's youth sector. One of the agency's key projects is \"Thousand Books for Youth\" or \"1000KITOB,\" which aims to support young people's intellectual development by translating major scientific and literary works directly into Uzbek. The project also seeks to strengthen the country's translation tradition and expand the capacity of the Uzbek language as a medium for modern scholarship, scientific thought, and knowledge.\n\nHowever, despite state efforts to promote a reading culture, young people's reading habits are ultimately influenced by their personal interests and needs. As an intern on the project, the reporter participated in discussions about book selection and translation. The project head, Jamshid Egamberganov, explained that the primary goal is to address the shortage of popular science books in Uzbek, a market that is not often prioritized by publishers.\n\nThe project selects books from various fields, including humanities and technology, and translates them at the government's expense. These translations are then freely provided to publishers for further publication. The expert council compiles a preliminary list of books, which is then reviewed and approved by the public. The project partners with reputable publishers and provides electronic copies through its reading app, Mutolaa.\n\nAccording to Egamberganov, over 140,000 copies of 47 different books have been distributed to libraries, with 33 books making it to the Mutolaa app. The app is currently used by more than 4.8 million people. In the period from September 2025 to July 2026, over 25,000 individuals read e-books through the \"Thousand Books for Youth\" project. Among the most-read titles are \"Psychology,\" \"Philosophy,\" and \"Politics\" from Oxford University Press's Very Short Introductions series.\n\nFor Zuhra Turdibekova, a student at the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers, discovering a book on ethnology in Uzbek through the project was particularly meaningful. The project also aims to elevate the Uzbek language beyond everyday communication, opening opportunities for its use in academic settings and discussions. However, the project faces challenges in translation and conceptualization, such as ensuring translations sound natural to Uzbek readers and addressing the limited availability of translators and publishers capable of handling complex books.",
  "summary": "Uzbekistan’s “Thousand Books for Youth” project hopes to promote a reading culture by making renowned books accessible in Uzbek.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}