The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution [Hardcover]

Abbas Milani (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2000

The Persian Sphinx is biography at its most powerful and will reward the general reader and the scholar alike. Amir Abbas Hoveyda was a central figure in the historic struggle between modernity and tradition in Iran -- a struggle pitting Western cosmopolitanism against Persian isolationism, secularism against religious fundamentalism, and ultimately civil society and democracy against authoritarianism. Born in Tehran in 1919 to a family of solid middle class comforts and faded aristocratic roots, Hoveyda was an elegant, cultivated, well-read and witty man, educated in Beirut, London and Brussels. After entering the Iranian foreign service in 1942, he served in France, Germany and Turkey, then returned to Iran in 1956 to join the National Iranian Oil Company. In 1965, the shah appointed him the country's prime minister. Hoveyda would serve faithfully in that post for thirteen years. Amir Abbas Hoveyda embodied the aspirations, the accomplishments and also the failures of a whole generation of Iranian technocrats -- mostly Western-trained -- who sought to free Iran from the travails of poverty and repression and guide it into the modern age. Hoveyda would be both a leader and a victim of that effort. On the eve of the Islamic Revolution, the shah, attempting to turn the rising tide of revolt by offering a scapegoat, ordered the prime minister's arrest. When the Pahlavi regime fell, Hoveyda chose not to flee, voluntarily surrendering to the new Islamic authorities. His hope was for a public trial; instead the infamous "Hanging Judge" presided over a secret and summary trial. In telling the story of Hoveyda's life, the author has not only laid bare the development of Iranian society duringa pivotal period (1919-1978) but has also unearthed important new material on U.S.-Iranian relations. From 1957 onward, Amir Abbas Hoveyda played critical roles in dealing with U.S. foreign policy and fundamentalist Islamic opposition in Iran. Through careful use of hitherto-unexamined archival materials, unpublished letters, and personal journals, along with extensive interviews with more than a hundred of Hoveyda's relatives, friends, and foes, the author has brilliantly caught the pathos and passion of Hoveyda's life and times.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In this beautifully written biography of Hoveyda, Abbas Milani provides us with a superb analysis of Iran and its poorly understood revolution. -- Middle East Journal, James A Brill, Winter 2001

Milani's biography of Hoveyda is a compelling read....not only highly readable, but balanced, well researched and exceedingly competent. -- The Spectator (London) 26 August 2000

Language Notes

Text: Persian (translation)
Original Language: English --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Mage Publishers (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934211612
• ISBN-13: 978-0934211611
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,341,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than a biography, December 25, 2004

By 

SHAYAN (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution (Paperback)

In the emotional fervor of revolutions, the protagonists are often portrayed as larger than life creators of history. In The Persian Sphinx, Milani restores humanity to the story of a man who is more notable for what he could have done than for what he did.

Hoveyda, like so many Iranian politicians through history was complicit in betraying his ideals through silence and acquiescence in the face of encroaching authoritarianism. The haunting story of Hoveyda shows us the paramount importance of integrity in leadership.

With a tumultuous period in Iranian history as a backdrop to the story, the reader gains insight into much more than Hoveyda's life including: the incompetent regime of the Shah, the causes of the 1979 revolution, and the barbarism of the revolutionary period.
A great read

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this book., August 31, 2004

By 

Story Teller (Midlothian, VA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution (Paperback)

I found this book to be very fascinating, fair, and extremely well written. Like other readers (below), it was hard for me to put the book down once I started reading it. Through the life of Prime Minister Hoveyda, we learn how and why the Iranian Revolution succeeded and understand the reign of terror that followed the collapse of the Iranian Monarchy in 1979. I must say I did not expect an easy read when I purchased the book as I had read Dr. Milani's "Lost Wisdom: Rethinking Modernity in Iran" and found the book to be fascinating but truly academic in language and tone. Simply put, this is a very readable book and I was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. Wonderful writing!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbiased, Well-documented, and yet Attractive, June 29, 2001

By 

(Amir) Hassan Rafiey (Tehran, Iran) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution (Hardcover)

As an academic research-based writer, Milani did his best to clarify an unseen aspect of a traditional society's challenge to get modern. Hoveyda was a prototype of some Iranian intellectuals; quite benevolent and dedicated themselves to the progress of their nation, but quite silly, b/c of their inability to understand the root of their nation's retardation, i.e. lack of democracy. He and many others thought that they can work in a totalitarian regime without any capacity for a reform to hold modern values such as political freedom. Milani shows well that it's not only an illusion, but also a very risky one. Milani's competency in writing so documented and yet so easy-to-read and attractive, I think, is arised from his Western academic skills, his familiarity with Eastern, specially Iranian, literature and story-telling tradition, and his direct experience as a political activist in the opposition with the same government that Hoveyda was its prime minister for 13 years. In spite of this unpleasant experience, Milani has not given away his sense of justice, and this is also another reason for the attractiveness of the book.