Garden of the Brave in War: Recollections of Iran [Paperback]

Terence O'Donnell (Author), Dick Davis (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

When Terence O'Donnell, an American who lived in Iran for fifteen years in the 1960s and 1970s, was asked what he was doing there, he replied, "The conviction of all Iranians, of most of my compatriots, and indeed of the Russians, was that I was engaged in intelligence work. I was, and what is more I filed a daily report. My employer was myself and my reports consisted of eight thousand pages of journal. This book was drawn from that material." For ten of those years, O'Donnell lived on a farm near Shiraz, in southern Iran, where he raised mainly pomegranates, but also quinces, grapes, chickens, and bees. He also made many Iranian friends. His memories of that time have yielded a masterpiece of national portraiture, wonderfully alive to the complexities of the Iranian character -- courteous, capricious, deeply religious yet also playful, generous, and poetic. A work of shimmering beauty and sensitivity, Garden of the Brave in War will deepen every reader's understanding of the often elusive country that lies behind the headlines.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

During the '60s, O'Donnell lived in southwestern Iran, where he ran a farm and formed close friendships with his neighbors. PW called these "enchanting glimpses of life in the countryside."
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"While O'Donnell helped to raise pomegranates, dog roses, apples, sour cherries, quinces, sheep chickens, and bees, the Iranians (and the Russians) believed that he was also engaged in intelligence work. The extent of his "intelligence work" is evident here--a keen observer's daily "reports" on an enigmatic and exotic culture. Splendidly realized."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Mage Publishers (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934211809
• ISBN-13: 978-0934211802
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #710,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece, December 5, 2001

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garden of the Brave in War: Recollections of Iran (Paperback)

This book is a treasure, beloved by anyone who has spent time in Iran, and/or who loves the English language used in a way unique to O'Donnell. It has been comared to Out of Africa - the deceptively simple wording, pared to the bone. I have given this book to people in Europe and America and they all, without prodding, contact me to tell me what a wonderful experience it has been for them.
Of course things have changed since he was there! But this gem will bring forth an Iran that many of us were blessed to know (1960's). None of us would pretend to have understood the complexity of that wonderfully rich culture but O'Donnell was comfortable with almost anyone, highranking to druckdrivers. He spoke the language, he knew all the verses to some of the rather louche folksongs, yet he never pretended to be The Expert. One of your reviewers, an Iranian, who gave the book 3 stars, has got it wrong. This is a memoir, evoking a period when Americans roamed freely, coming into contact with a very ancient civilization which many of them couldn't pretend to understand. If the recounting of the experiences of this extraordinary American, who understood more than any of us in Shiraz at the time, appears condescending to anyone, I have to say they are missing the point.
Any brilliant travel writing is bound to upset someone, but this is a piece of writing that leaves such questions moot, they shouldn't even apply. One man's experiences, and this has some riotously funny ones, have made for a fabulous read, period.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book to read, August 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Garden of the Brave in War: Recollections of Iran (Paperback)

This is an excellent book. The stories are charming and the prose a literary gem -- simple, humorous, and yet realistic. I could not stop reading it from cover to cover. The author's second book (Seven Shadows of Memory) is definitely on my list of reading.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Garden of the brave in war is charming, entertaining, +More, July 1, 2004

By 

S. Kianian "gomnam" (Los Altos Hills, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Garden of the Brave in War: Recollections of Iran (Paperback)

Terence O'Donnell does a masterful job of vividly describing the scenery, the people, the lives, the simplicity and the colorful everyday lives of "locals" in the villages and towns he has stayed and visited in Iran. His observations, I found, very insightful and as best as I have experienced them myself, very accurate. I was saddened to know that he has passed away, this would have been a man I would have loved to sit down with and hear his stories, over a hot cup of sweet tea.