From Palace to Prison: Inside the Iranian Revolution [Hardcover]

Ehsan Naraghi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1993

This unusual and illuminating account of the Iranian revolution of 1979 is far more than an insider's memoir of the shah's downfall and the rise of the Islamic republic. It is also a unique behind-the-scenes view of Iran's tempestuous politics and society. In the first half of the book, the author, a prominent Iranian sociologist, engagingly recounts his long conversations with the shah in the weeks before the revolution. Here is the shah at bay, a man overtaken by events and unbelievably ignorant of the causes of the popular agitation against him. Mr. Naraghi provides an unparalleled picture of the revolutionary events as seen through the eyes of those at the very center of power. In the second half of the book the author recalls his thirty-three-month experience in prison—the first testimony to come from a survivor of the Islamic republic's jails. In a rich, intensely human portrait of his co-prisoners and his jailors, Mr. Naraghi powerfully reconstructs his prison world as a microcosm of the political earthquake that engulfed Iran. His book is a highly readable and authentic counterpoint to Not Without My Daughter.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On September 28, 1978, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran, summoned the author, a prominent Iranian sociologist, to the palace in Teheran to ask for his analysis of the current political situation. "Where does this rebellion and spreading agitation originate? Who instigated it? Who is sustaining this process? Who triggered this religious movement?" Naraghi's daring answer, "You yourself, Majesty," led to a series of conversations in which the author was given the opportunity to explain to the shah why he was considered an enemy of the people and what, if anything, could be done about it. In Naraghi's reconstruction, the eight meetings held during the final year of the shah's reign constitute a portrait of a national leader who was deaf to criticism and blind to reality. After the shah's flight into exile in February 1979, Naraghi was arrested and held for nearly three years in the notorious Evin Prison by followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini. His account of this experience makes up the second half of this compelling memoir.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This highly readable book is written from the perspective of an Iranian intellectual who observed the Shah's behavior firsthand during the last months of the Pahlavi monarchy. The first part of the book is devoted to a detailed description of Naraghi's conversations with the Shah, which took place in the midst of the revolutionary upheaval in mid- to late 1978. These conversations reveal vividly the Shah's mindset during this turbulent period. The second half of the book deals with the author's imprisonment following the Iranian Revolution of 1978-79. In this part, Naraghi seeks to explain not only his own personal plight but also the complex and competing views of various administrative and judicial authorities of the new Iranian regime. Recommended for students of modern Middle East politics and informed general readers.
- Nader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, Ala.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 301 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566630339
• ISBN-13: 978-1566630337
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,489,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inside the Iranian Revolution, July 26, 2001

By 

Daniel Pipes (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Palace to Prison: Inside the Iranian Revolution (Hardcover)

Naraghi, a leading Iranian intellectual, has written an important and absorbing account of his experiences between September 1978 and September 1983. In part one, he recounts in great detail his eight conversations with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi during the last, agonizing months of the shah's 37-year reign. Both sides of the conversation held considerable interest-we see the shah's desperate turn of min d and Naraghi's intelligent insights into the monarch's problems (for example, he traces the shah's troubles to 1962, when his abrasive, anti-Islamic remarks forced the religious leaders to respond by becoming revolutionaries). In part two, Naraghi recounts his three years in prison. Arrested twice because of his conversations with the shah and another time because he had been an academic mentor of Abul-Hassan Bani-Sadr, the ousted ex-president of Iran (as one of Naraghi's friends correctly observed to him, "You're always on the side of the losers."). Naraghi offers a surprisingly benign view of the prison authorities. He portrays his time served as a unique opportunity to meet varied Iranians and even distinguished ones. Indeed, on his third arrest, the author admits that "in all honesty the idea of making new and interesting acquaintances was not altogether displeasing to me."

Middle East Quarterly, September 1994 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition

5.0 out of 5 stars From Palace to Prison, November 26, 2010

By 

S. Parhizkari - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: From Palace to Prison: Inside the Iranian Revolution (Hardcover)

Naraghi's book clearfies some of the issues that were rumored at the end of the Shah's regime and furtheremore, gives very good insight about Shah's inter personality. The latter part of the book verifies the disbelief that Ayatollah Khomeini and the Mullahs had about the sudden grab of full power and lack of the know-how to handle it which is continuing today. It is a battle between mystic religion and modern day changes. The author has avoided self glorification which happens in many of similar books.He has given an in depth and true view of the events of those days. I know. I was in a similar situation as was the author. Definitely worth reading.

5.0 out of 5 stars from palace to prison, May 19, 2000

By 

mohammad (IRAN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Palace to Prison: Inside the Iranian Revolution (Hardcover)

THIS IS AN INFORMATIVE BOOK REGADING IRANIAN SOCITEY AND ITS STATUS NEAR THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION