Who lost Iran? How and why did a country, never richer, never more educated, its women never more liberated erupt in a fundamentalist revolution? the answer can be found in the enthralling life and tragic death of one man. 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 during a 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 Through careful use of hitherto-unexamined archival materials, unpublished letters, and personal journals, along with extensive interviews with more than a hundred of Hoveyda's relatives, friends, and foes, the author has brilliantly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. The Persian Sphinx is biography at its most powerful and will reward the scholar and the general reader alike.
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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
Language Notes
Text: Persian (translation)
Original Language: English --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Original Language: English --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format: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
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
Format: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
Format: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.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Helping to Solve the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution
I just finished reading a biography by Abbas Milani titled The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution (2004). Read more
Published 8 months ago by E. Tompkins
Good book on biography of one of the most popular prime ministers of...
PM Hoveyda was the Iran's Prime Minister for 13 yrs in 1960s and 70s and the late Shah's minister of the court in the last years of the government of the Shah of Iran. Read more
Published on September 8, 2008 by Winston
Iran
Found this book very interesting because the author of book simply presented facts, and did not express his own view.
The story was sad because Mr. Read more
The story was sad because Mr. Read more
Published on March 19, 2006 by Peyman ADLDOUSTI
a fabulous read
For any Iranian, especially those who left revolutionary Iran in their teens, this is a must read. When I left, I was old enough to understand some things political but not most. Read more
Published on September 11, 2005 by A reader in California
One of the best books about pre-revolutionary Iran politics
An extremely well written and well researched biography. It is clear that Mr. Milani is a true scholar. Read more
Published on December 9, 2003
Great Biography of Mr. Hoveyda, Unbiased
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. Read more
Published on February 12, 2002 by Kamran dadsetan
Unbalanced, Incompetent. So much for the editorial reviewer
Well written it certainly is. I quite liked how it evoked emotion and revulsion at the murder of such friendly personality as Mr. Hoveyda. Factual the book most certainly is not. Read more
Published on December 30, 2001 by A. K. K. Sheibany
Very well documented and precise facts about Hoveyda
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. Read more
Published on July 26, 2001
Excellent Read
... People are either "good" or "bad." Any fair reading of The Persian Sphinx makes amply clear that the author in no way "romanticizes" Hoveyda. Read more
Published on June 26, 2001 by Thad Inge
Romantacizing Hoveida
The author mentions that Hoveida met the notorious SAVAK chief Parviz Sabeti every wednesday and yet the author believes that Hoveida was a "liberal at heart". Read more
Published on April 3, 2001
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First Sentence:
All his life, books had been his solace and passion, his sanctuary from the ordeals of the mundane. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
spreading corruption, secret cable, embassy report Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Amir Abbas, Ayatollah Khomeini, National Front, Progressive Circle, Bani Sadr, State Department, United States, Fereshteh Ensha, Tudeh Party, Fereydoun Hoveyda, Persian Gulf, Hassan-Ali Mansur, Reza Shah, Maryam Ensha, Time of War, Islamic Republic, White Revolution, Ardeshir Zahedi, Laila Emami, Al-e Ahmad, Iranian Embassy, Refah School, Ali Amini, Hanging Judge, Soviet Union New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
All his life, books had been his solace and passion, his sanctuary from the ordeals of the mundane. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
spreading corruption, secret cable, embassy report Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Amir Abbas, Ayatollah Khomeini, National Front, Progressive Circle, Bani Sadr, State Department, United States, Fereshteh Ensha, Tudeh Party, Fereydoun Hoveyda, Persian Gulf, Hassan-Ali Mansur, Reza Shah, Maryam Ensha, Time of War, Islamic Republic, White Revolution, Ardeshir Zahedi, Laila Emami, Al-e Ahmad, Iranian Embassy, Refah School, Ali Amini, Hanging Judge, Soviet Union New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 48
books:
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11
books
cite this book:
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- Answer to History by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi on 4 pages
- Mission to Iran by William H. Sullivan in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Arrest of Hoveyda: Stories of the Iranian Revolution by Saideh Pakravan in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Iran & The West by Ghani in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Islam & Revolution by Khomeini in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 48 books this book cites
- Defying the Iranian Revolution: From a Minister to the Shah to a Leader of Resistance by Manouchehr Ganji on 5 pages
- The Unthinkable Revolution in Iran by Charles Kurzman in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution by Nikki R. Keddie in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Distant Relations: Iran and Lebanon in the Last 500 Years by Houchang Chehabi on page 15, and page 103
- Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach (Indiana Series in Middle East Studies) by Quintan Wiktorowicz on page 203
See all 11 books citing this book
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