Iran Books

[Taneka Tarring]

Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński

The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran by Roy Mottahedeh

All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror by Stephen Kinzer

The satirical novel My Uncle Napoleon (1973) by Iraj Pezeshkzad is recommended by both Jasmin Darznik and Pooneh Ghoddoosi as the most popular Iranian novel of the 20th century and a good introduction to the Iranian character and culture. (A competing, but very different novel is Blind Owl (1936) by Sadeq Hedayat).

More recently, the memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran (2003) has been translated into 33 different languages and sold millions of copies in the West. The memoir written as a comic, Persepolis (2000), was also an international sensation.

At the height of its greatness, the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the largest empire the world had ever known. Too often it is given merely a villainous walk-on part in the heroic history of classical Greece. Here, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones explains why that needs correcting, looks at its cultural achievements and discusses why the first Persian empire is worth studying in its own right and on its own terms.

At the height of its greatness, the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the largest empire the world had ever known. Too often it is given merely a villainous walk-on part in the heroic history of classical Greece. Here, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones explains why that needs correcting, looks at its cultural achievements and discusses why the first Persian empire is worth studying in its own right and on its own terms.

From the 14th century poetry of Hafez to the 21st century's Reading Lolita in Tehran, Iranian BBC journalist Pooneh Ghoddoosi discusses books that give an insight into the culture, society, and politics of Iran

A better understanding of Iran starts with a better understanding of the country's history. Historian Ali Ansari talks us through some of the most influential works about Iranian history available in English.

In this interview two celebrated chefs discuss the best books to help you capture the complex flavours and colours of Persian food. Along the way they describe their favourite Persian treats, including mouth-watering lattice window syrup cakes and rice with saffron and morello cherries.

Woman, Life, Freedom (Seven Stories Press) is an urgent, groundbreaking and visually stunning new collection of graphic story-telling about the present Iranian revolution, using comics to show what would be censored in photos and film in Iran. Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, returns to graphic art with this collaboration of over 20 activists, artists, journalists, and

We are sharing books for World Refugee Day on June 20th to bring light to the struggles refugees currently face. By sharing the individual stories of refugees whose lives have been dismantled and who have moved beyond catastrophic circumstances, we hope to inspire education on how to contribute to creating a world in which people

Legendary characters and kings, one of the oldest civilizations of humankind, once the most powerful empire in the world and today, a controversial Islamic regime fighting against Saudi Arabia for hegemony in the region.

Settareh Farman Farmaian is an Iranian woman from an aristocratic family, born in Iran in 1921. She studied in the USA for 10 years and returned to Tehran to found the first social work school ever in Iran.

This is a very-easy-to-read, addictive novel that narrates the story of a young boy, Pasha Shahed, from Tehran who liked to spend his summer days on the rooftops of the city and was in love with his neighbor Zaria, a beautiful girl engaged to someone else.

This book is not only a critique of the dictatorial regime but also, explains, in a very nostalgic way, all the things the author misses from Iran, with vivid descriptions of the most beautiful things from all over the country.

Similar to the Cypress Tree, Cyrus tells us all the great things about Iran, with the small difference that he had never been there before the book; is an essay of his own 3-year journey through Iran to discover his actual origins.

This is such a cool story, originally a graphic novel and then turned into an animated movie that had an Oscar nomination.

It tells the story of a little Iranian girl, from the Islamic Revolution until today. While fundamentalists forced women to wear hijab, Marjane discovered punk music, ABBA and Iron Maiden.

Then, she moved to France, a country she fell in love with but, since she missed her family so much, she decided to move back to Iran, even though this involved putting her hijab on and follow other Sharia rules.

The Iranian novel, however, is famous because it was well-embraced by the Western media, but I found it a bit boring, not very revolutionary, but rather they talk too much about different authors and their literature.

And, for a change from politics, Shahs and Islamic Revolutions, Shahnameh tells the story of pre-Islamic Persia, from the creation of this ancient civilization to the Arab invasion in the 7th century.

Shahnameh is deeply inserted into the Persian culture, with mentions and appearances in hundreds of other works. It is, definitely, the most comprehensive poem covering centuries of Persian literature.

Hafez is another of the greatest poets in Iran. He even has his own mausoleum in Shiraz, which turns out to be one of the most important tourist attractions in the city, both for locals and foreigners.

Bradt has always the most comprehensive guides to the most off-beat countries and the one they wrote for Iran is one of their most complete books, with loads of insights and it mentions plenty off the beaten track spots.

Culture Smart are a set of books that give deep cultural insights from around the world, also providing tips on how to behave and cultural etiquette, something pretty useful in a country like Iran, especially for women.

It also goes deeper, by elaborating that Iran is not only an Islamic country with Islamic rules but Zoroastrianism (the main religion during pre-Islamic times) still plays an important role in their everyday culture.

Mass demonstrations happening in Iran were sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa "Jina" Amini, in a Tehran hospital on Sept. 16, two days after her arrest by Islamic Republic authorities for failing to properly cover her hair.

Hijab is mandatory in Iran and is enforced by morality police. Iranian officials claim she suffered a heart attack, but witnesses at the police station and her relatives say Amini was severely beaten while she was in custody.

We have put together a reading list that can offer insight into Iranian women and what is happening in their country. This list of 10 books was complied with the help of fellow Iranian friends and family, including journalist and author Nazila Fathi; refugee and migration law expert Parastou Hassouri, comedian Maz Jobrani, and Maryam Haghbin, a Montessori field consultant (and also my cousin). Many are memoirs by women who were forced to flee Iran:

Iran Awakening: One Woman's Journey to Reclaim her Life and Country by Shirin Ebadi (with journalist Azadeh Moaveni). Her first memoir, chronicling her earlier years and how the Iranian revolution that so many embraced turned into a theocracy.

The Lonely War: One Woman's Account of the Struggle for Modern Iran, by Nazila Fathi, a former New York Times reporter who seamlessly weaves her compelling story as a journalist ultimately forced to flee her native Iran with the post-revolution history of her country.

My Prison, My Home: One Woman's Story of Captivity in Iran by Haleh Esfandiari, an Iranian-American scholar and former director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center. The memoir delves into her arrest on false charges and her time at the notorious Evin Prison.

Reconstructed Lives: Women and Iran's Islamic Revolution by Haleh Esfandiari, who presents interviews with Iranian professional and working women and their dramatic accounts about what has happened to them following the 1979 revolution.

Women and Revolution in Iran by Guity Nashat, a historian and researcher who edited this collection of essays featuring various perspectives on the participation of women in the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and its complexities.

Between Warrior Brother and Veiled Sister: Islamic Fundamentalism and the Politics of Patriarchy in Iran by Minoo Moallem, a professor of gender and women's studies at the University of California at Berkeley. She analyzes modern Iran and, while critical of the treatment of women, sets aside stereotypes of Islam and Muslims as fanatical and backward.

Honeymoon in Tehran: Two Years of Love and Danger in Iran by Azadeh Moaveni, former journalist who directs the Gender and Conflict Program at the International Crisis Group. This is her second memoir, an engaging account of her personal and professional life in Tehran during the rise of populist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, an English literature professor. This bestselling memoir about a clandestine book club she hosts at her home in Tehran draws readers in, but has been criticized by many in the Iranian diaspora and some non-Iranians for portraying Iranian themes through a narrow, Western lens.

Traveling through Iran to film a public-television show, I quickly filled up my notebook with quirky observations. One moment, I saw propaganda murals encouraging young men to walk into the blazing sunset of martyrdom. The next, a woman in a bookstore served me cookies while I browsed through the books, admiring one in particular. Then, when I was about to leave without buying anything, she gave me the book for free.

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