Customer Reviews

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

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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

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!

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.

Simply brilliant! A refreshing and objective account of not only the life and times of one of the most prominant political figures in the recent Iranian history, but a concise, albeit breif, summary of some critical events leading to the Iranian Revolution. Dr. Milani is frighteningly honest and admirably objective in writing a TRUE biography which in itself is a rare comodity in the Iranian history collection. You had better not start reading this book unless you have a couple of free days ahead of you, because once you start reading it, you can not simply stop until you have read it all. And even then it stays with you for a LONG LONG time. My deepest and most sincere congratulations and thanks to Dr. Milani for this great contribution to Iran's history.

An extremely well written and well researched biography. It is clear that Mr. Milani is a true scholar. Rarely has a book about Iranian politics been so well researched and footnoted. Moreoever, The Persian Sphinx is easy to read. Entertaining to read for those without much knowledge about Iranian politics and a must for scholars of Iranian history and politics.

Mr. Milani must have gone through great pains to make sure all the information is factual. The book is written in a neutral language, it tells the good and the bad. This is a must read for every person with interest in recent Iranian History. Stay away from unauthorised translations copies of this book that was published in Iran.

I couldn't put the book down. Abbas Milani has done a great job in researching not just on who Hoveyda was, but also on what went on behind the scenes between the power brokers of the time, such as Alam, Nahavandi, Zahedi, etc.

Abbas creates a clear picture of how the Shah was running Iran. He points out the good and the bad (not so good) side of Hoveyda, as well as telling us who were the goods, the bads and the uglies of Iran under the Shah.

Iranians might have thought they knew Hoveyda, but by reading this book they will realize they really didn't know anything about Hoveyda!

I certainly have a much better understanding of why the Iranian revolution happened after reading The Persian Sphinx.

The Persian Sphinx is a must read book for any one who is interested in Iran and it's history.

In this book, Dr. Milani demonstrates the depth of his research and investigation about Hoveyda's life. The book is extremely well researched and lacks any one-sided opinions. There are still some facts that need to be researched and revealed when/if the government archives open up to the public. Reading this book is recommended to those who are interested in the latest years of the Pahlavi regime in Iran and the events that lead to their down fall. It is also recommended that those who have an interest in A.A. Hoveyda as a person and a politician to read this book. It is a well researched, and well written book.

I just finished reading a biography by Abbas Milani titled The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution (2004). This is an excellent book that both well researched and an engaging read. Not only is it a biography and personality study of the longest serving prime minister under the Shah, it also provides important historical details and political analysis concerning the events leading up to the '79 revolution.
Unlike many of the one-dimensional biographies of important public figures, Milani reveals Hoveyda to be a complex multi-dimensional human being. Early in his position as prime minister Hoveyda was full of hope and optimism about the future democratic possibilities of his country and his role as a political servant in making it happen. However, as time and events wore on - as the Shah became more authoritarian - he became much more cynical. Yet, as Milani notes, instead of continuing in his role as a functionary in a corrupt system, he could have resigned.
Beyond the complexities of Hoveyda's life, Milani's narrative ponders a number of philosophical issues such as the relationship between goals and means, theory and action, and political and moral culpability in a bureaucratic system. It's fair to say that a quick historical survey of the of political revolutions reveals that the outcomes are often a far cry from what the architects of the revolution envisaged. Given the luxury of hindsight, it is easy to see how the myriad of competing interests and agendas that were at work in 1970s Iran (including U.S. strategic interests) made the possibility of a democratic outcome difficult at the very least. In exploring these forces, Milani's book doesn't completely solve the riddle of the Iranian revolution, yet it offers some key insights into why it turned out the way it did.

... People are either "good" or "bad." Any fair reading of The Persian Sphinx makes amply clear that the author in no way "romanticizes" Hoveyda. In fact he often questions his dealings with SAVAK and emphasizes his legal and moral responsibility for their often horrendous actions. He simply does not demonize Hoveyda, and that is itself enough to cause the vitriol and anger and of purist "revolutionaries" and their simple-minded view of history. The Persian Sphinx is an excellent read and essential for anyone looking to know more about the recent history of Iran and it's poorly understood revolution.