The Shah and the Ayatollah: Iranian Mythology and Islamic Revolution (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: enduring mythology, fate neurosis, tripartite ideology, Reza Shah, Muhammad Reza, Reza Khan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Although Hoveyda does not offer new historical information, his rather unique approach to the long history of Iran makes the book fascinating and provides a new way to look at Iranian history. Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.”–Choice

“[i]ntriguing and thought provoking,....a humbling warning that trying to move ancient societies is pretty risky business.”–Middle East Journal

Book Description

Provides and illustration of the influence of myths in the history-in-the-making story of modern Iran.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (February 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275978583
• ISBN-13: 978-0275978587
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,413,852 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Iran, April 29, 2003

By	Jean Richards (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This concise, clear, original book is a crystallization of decades of thought by Hoveyda, former Iranian Ambassador to the UN and now an American citizen. Having grown up in both the Middle East (Iran, Lebanon) and the West, he brings both an insiders and an outsiders point of view.
Assuming we are all deeply influenced by our history, and particularly our mythologies, Hoveyda elucidates Iranian attitudes and actions by examining both Islamic and 0pre-Islamic myths which are transmitted to every Iranian child. He contrasts these with Western myths: In our (Oedipal) mythology, the son kills the father; Iran it is reversed: the father kills the son. Hoveyda uses these myths to explain aspects of the Iranian revolution that might seem puzzling to us.
Particularly interesting is the Islamic (and pre-Islamic) concept of "ketman," or doubletalk, in which the believer is encouraged to deceive the infidel-i.e., to tell him what he wants to hear.
This book deserves a wide readership and should be reprinted at a more affordable price.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Destroying that which came before them, April 25, 2003

By	A. K. K. Sheibany (London, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ambassador Fereydoun Hoveyda addresses the core of the problems facing Iran, both advertently, and inadvertently.

For a more detailed review of this book and a point for point critic of some of the false premises that exist in this book, please visit amiran dot com (forward-slash)/ sphinx

Using this book and its predecessor published a couple of years ago, I try and show the reader, using the authors very own words, their motives, their mistaken assumptions, and it's inevitable consequences.

We, the young generation of Iranian's, had to learn the hard way.