Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran: Alexander Griboyedov and Imperial Russia's Mission to the Shah of Persia [Paperback]

Laurence Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1845111966 | ISBN-13: 978-1845111960

In this first biography of Alexander Griboyedov in English, Laurence Kelly paints a vivid picture of a man of remarkable literary talent and diplomatic gifts that were nevertheless overshadowed by ill-fortune. Involved in the 1825 Decembrist plot to overthrow the Tsarist state and the mission to further Russia's expansionist agenda in the Caucasus, the famous writer was eventually murdered by zealous mobs in Tehran. This book makes an invaluable contribution to the diplomatic history of Russia, the Caucasus and Iran at the same time illuminating the life and works of a writer who was among ninteenth-century Russia's most respected and prominent writers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kelly's highly readable and enjoyable book is the first biography in English of this intriguing figure."--Jan Dalley, Financial Times
"Laurence Kelly, the prize-winning author of a life of Lermontov, has spent many years delving into Russian and Persian archives and found hitherto uncovered telling details. But he wears his meticulous scholarship lightly and tells a riveting tale that reads like a Russian novel."--Shusha Guppy, Times Higher Educational Supplement
"The subject is brilliant and multi-faceted. Both Griboyedov's life and death make for an extraordinary tale."--Moscow Times
"The exotic life of a supremely talented but (in the West) little-known Russian. A well-told, informative tale, contemporary relevance -- what more could the reader ask?"--George Walden, Sunday Telegraph
"My book of the year is Laurence Kelly's Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran..."--Sir Raymond Carr, The Spectator
"Groboyedov's life sounds like a tall story, a heroic myth. Here, it has been investigated with exemplary thoroughness, retold with a fine sense of tact and restraint."--Philip Hensher, The Spectator
"Laurence Kelly must be congratulated on finding such a dramatic story and telling it in such a lively style. Anyone with even a casual interest in Russian history will be gripped, and moved, by this book." --John Jolliffe, The Tablet

Book Description

In this first biography of Alexander Griboyedov in English, Laurence Kelly paints a vivid picture of a man of remarkable literary talent and diplomatic gifts that were nevertheless overshadowed by ill-fortune. Involved in the 1825 Decembrist plot to overthrow the Tsarist state and the mission to further Russia's expansionist agenda in the Caucasus, the famous writer was eventually murdered by zealous mobs in Tehran. This book makes an invaluable contribution to the diplomatic history of Russia, the Caucasus and Iran and celebrates the life and works of a writer who was among ninteenth-century Russia's most respected and prominent writers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks (October 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845111966
• ISBN-13: 978-1845111960
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,910,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran : Alexander Griboyedov and the Tsar's Mission to the Shah of Persia, March 8, 2006

By 

Michael Rubin "Middle East Quarterly" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran: Alexander Griboyedov and the Tsar's Mission to the Shah of Persia (Hardcover)

A century and a half before Iranian radicals seized the U.S. embassy and took fifty-two hostages, a frenzied Iranian mob spurred on by the mullahs stormed the Russian legation in Tehran and massacred all but one member of the mission. Among those murdered was Alexander Griboyedov, playwright and Russia's chief diplomat in Tehran. While largely forgotten, the massacre illustrates yet another example of the Iranian clergy's xenophobic and violent reaction to foreign challenges.

In 1828, the tsar dispatched Griboyedov to Iran in order to implement the humiliating Treaty of Turkmanchai that ended the second Russo-Iranian war. Under terms of the treaty, Iran forever forfeited its claim to what is now Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia; paid exorbitant reparations; and granted diplomatic immunity and other privileges for Russian merchants.

The treaty's implementation was complicated by a culture clash. Griboyedov offended the royal court by not removing his boots in front of the shah and further antagonized the shah by demanding the release of numerous Christian slaves seized by Iran in the preceding decades.

Well-written, with extensive notes and sixty-five illustrations, Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran is worth the price for those interested in the tragic life of a young writer and diplomat. For historians of Iran, however, the value will be limited. Kelly seeks to absolve the English from persistent accusations that they egged on the Iranian mobs who slaughtered the Griboyedov mission. Point taken, but irrelevant to all but one hundred or so historians of Qajar-era Iran.

Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran is not for those seeking a more general introduction into Iranian history. Less than one-quarter of the text follows Griboyedov's experiences in Tehran and Tabriz. Other chapters cover his experiences in Georgia and the Crimea and Griboyedov's early life in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Far more engaging for those interested in the great diplomatic competition between Russia and Britain over Iran and Central Asia will be Peter Hopkirk's Great Game, a broader account of the spies and diplomats sent into deadly competition in the region. Also excellent is Denis Wright's The English amongst the Persians, which reproduces excerpts and accounts from a number of early visitors. While many accounts exist of Europeans' experiences in the Middle East, readers may enjoy the opposite in English translation of the diary of Nasir ad-Din Shah (r. 1848-96) during his 1873 European tour.

Middle East Quarterly, Summer 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars different perspective, January 2, 2011

By 

Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran: Alexander Griboyedov and Imperial Russia's Mission to the Shah of Persia (Paperback)

I think this book is good because it makes use of many Russian references and provides Russian context and a Russian perspective for Russian intervention in Persia.