A history of modern iran in a radical reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discoveryofoil,imperialinterventions,theruleofthepahlavis,and,in 1979, revolution and the birth of the islamic republic. Between two revolutions princeton university press, 1982, 562 pages, cloth. A modern history by abbas amanat, paperback barnes. A history of modern iran goes through the modern history of iran in very clear, very understandable language without, unlike most books about the topic, having to rely on hearsay, unverified accounts or personal or politically motivated interpretations of event. The books below are my picks of iranian literature with a few books not by iranians but which illuminate iran itself. Iranian writer nima malek mohamadi walks us through iran s recent literary history ahead of iran in writing. Each time iran plays, i will be doing a post on some aspect of that countrys culture. What are the best books to read about the modern history.
A modern history by abbas amanat is a detailed five hundred year history of iran. Jul 10, 2008 in a reappraisal of iran s modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discovery of oil, imperial interventions, the rule of the pahlavis and, in 1979, revolution and the birth of the islamic republic. What can iran s modern literature tell us about its writers and the society they emerged from. The blind owl is sadegh hedayats magnum opus and a major literary work of 20th century iran. With an ancient history dotted with legendary figures, beautiful architecture and powerful kings, and modern times inescapably shaped by the controversial islamic revolution, there are countless books on iran that will make you fall in love with the country even before going. Choose from used and new textbooks or get instant access with etextbooks and digital materials. Michael axworthy, a former british foreign service officer and a lecturer in arabic and islamic studies at the university of exeter. She recommends five books that give us a window on iranian history and family life. Buy a history of modern iran 2 by ervand abrahamian isbn. Ervand abrahamian born 1940 is an iranianborn armenianamerican historian of the middle east.
Jul 20, 2011 kamin mohammadis top 10 iranian books. Principle ethnic groups are persian 51%, azeri 24%, gilaki and mazandarani 8%, kurd 7% and arab 3%. Whenever im asked to recommend a modern iranian novel, i have to keep three. The book begins with the qajar dynasty in its dying days. Jun 08, 2014 a history of modern iran azar tabari amongst the myriad of books about iran which have appeared over the past few years, one work stands out as a unique contribution to modern iranian history. A history of modern iran in a radical reappraisal of iran s modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discoveryofoil,imperialinterventions,theruleofthepahlavis,and,in 1979, revolution and the birth of the islamic republic. Irans political borders are not what one might expect at the turn of the century. The best books on iranian history five books expert. Part biography and part political history, amir taheris the spirit of allah a direct translation of khomeinis given name, ruhollah is at once a detailed examination of the revolution in iran and a threedimensional portrait of the man whose almost gravitational centrality to it. Although armenians have a long history of interaction and settlement with persia iran and within the modern day borders of the nation, iran s armenian community emerged under the safavids. And you have to remember that back in the 1980s there were very few accessible scholarly texts on modern iran, unlike europe and the us. A history of modern iran cambridge university press. It makes use of a combination of documents that include newspapers and the periodical press, diaries, memoirs, letters, speeches, and.
Privacy statement the university of minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. He always writes very interesting things about the social and political history of the country and this book is actually a collection of essays that he has written on the islamic revolution and its aftermath. The empress of art uncovers the lost story of farah pahlavis amazing journey from empress to exile and illuminates the nearforgotten collection of contemporary art she left behind. Rival conceptions of freedom in modern iran is an original historiographic examination of the idea of freedom in early modern iran within a larger context of the formation of modern muslim thought. Covering the period from the early nineteenth century to the present day, modern iran. This post is part of the world cup for kids project from multicultural kid blogs. A history of modern iran by ervand abrahamian goodreads. In the 16th century, the ottoman empire and safavid iran divided armenia. A brief history of irans modern literature british council. A modern history is easy three times as long as books i usually choose so it is with all credit to abbas amanats engaging writing that i happily immersed myself in this history for the best part of a week. Jul 10, 2008 a history of modern iran goes through the modern history of iran in very clear, very understandable language without, unlike most books about the topic, having to rely on hearsay, unverified accounts or personal or politically motivated interpretations of event.
An intellectual history of the constitutional revolution 1st edition. Kamin mohammadis top 10 iranian books books the guardian. Shaji i, nemayand egan e majles e show raye melli deputies in the na tional. Im thrilled that there are so many books remaining for me to explore.
In a radical reappraisal of iran s modern history, ervand abrahamian traces the countrys traumatic journey from the midnineteenth century to the present day, through the discovery of oil, imperial interventions, the rule of the pahlavis, and the birth of the islamic republic. History and literature sociology novel psychology women glossary publications policy. The clergys revenge a modern history of iran books and. The thrust of the book is the establishment of modern iran, with an emphasis on the 20th century, the establishment of the pahlavi dynasty and its fall. For a detailed description of the persian empire, see persia. Karnamikiardashir or the records of ardashir from the sacred books and early literature of the east by charles f.
Written in persian, it tells the story of an unnamed pen case painter, the. There is are 20 pages of background information on iran before 1800. After all, one of the best ways to understand another part of the world is to read works written by those who know it best, those who have lived it, those who have loved it, those who have shaped its histories. In a reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic.
Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Iranian dissident ordered to copy out books by ayatollah khamenei after branding. Given that the country was overrun constantly and threatened by powerful neighboring forces, from the arabs to the russians to the british, how did the persian empire resist being subsumed by them. Oct 24, 2017 a masterfully researched and compelling history of iran from 1501 to 2009 this history of modern iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. A history of modern iran, ervand abrahamian in a reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discovery of oil, imperial interventions, the rule of the pahlavis and, in 1979, revolution and. Dec 07, 2017 a masterfully researched and compelling history of iran from 1501 to 2009 this history of modern iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. Between reform and revolution, authoritarianism and democratisation, the history of modern iran reflects the struggles of an ancient state as it seeks to define itself in the modern world. The spirit of allah khomeini and the islamic revolution. New books archaeology, anthropology architecture art biographies, memoirs business, economy children crafts, rugs culture, society diaspora ethnicities, minorities film, video food foreign relations iranus relations geography, nature history ancient history modern history pahlavi era history qajar era humor, satire. This is the summary of a history of modern iran by ervand abrahamian. He is distinguished professor of history at baruch college and the graduate center of the city university of new york.
Literature in iran encompasses a variety of literary traditions in the various languages used in iran. A modern history university of minnesota bookstores. A history in documents brings together primary sources in translation that shed light on aspects of the political, social, cultural, and intellectual history of modern iran. Everyday life in iran is often mischaracterised, says the iranian author and academic especially when it comes to the struggles of its women. Jan 02, 2018 in light of the recent protests, i provide a primer on the complex political structure of iran and its socioeconomic history.
A history of iran, one of several recent books that aim to draw back the gloomy curtain of recent events, aims to increase the general readers awareness of the richness and uniqueness of the iranian heritage. Iranian historybibliography wikibooks, open books for an. From them also, thrust up in the wake of the volcanic activity of late pliocene times, came diorite and obsidian, both highly prized in antiquity. Nov 14, 20 1 for a general survey of 20th century iran, i highly recommend, a history of modern iran. First in the respectable literary quarterly literatura na swiecie no 1090. In this substantially revised and expanded version of nikki keddies classic workroots of revolution,the author brings the story of modern iran to the present day, exploring the political, cultural, and social changes of the past quarter century. In this revised and expanded version of nikki keddies work, roots of revolution, the author brings the story of modern iran to the present day, exploring the political, cultural, and social changes of the past quarter century. List of books and articles about ancient persia online. Buy a history of modern iran by ervand abrahamian isbn. The books here are just a sample of iranian literature. Today i am sharing some childrens books to teach kids about this beautiful country. It is a history of immediate relevance to any interested in the future of the middle east. Finally, the rivers of iran, racing swiftly through.
Our literary tour of iran includes a clandestine autobiography under recent regimes, sharp satire and a history of. What are the best books to read about the modern history of iran. In its history, iran only has had two supreme leaders. Today, iran has a population of about 70 million persons. The history of iran presented in her book is not exactly objective but no matter, these books are funny and moving.
By ervand abrahamian 2 for a more in depth and scholarly works, abrahamians iran between two revolutions is a classic. He is widely regarded as one of the leading historians of modern iran. Iranian cinema, past, present, future 2001 hamid dabashi describes modern iranian cinema and the phenomenon of iranian national. In a radical reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its. The historians of the constitutional movement and the.
Aug 27, 2011 the visual storytelling gives the books an immediate appeal and places them very much in the mainstream, accessible to many who would not normally pick up a book on iran. A history of modern iran in a reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discovery of oil, imperial interventions, the rule of the pahlavis and, in 1979, revolution and the birth of the islamic republic. Introduction iran and ancient persia have a long, creative and glorious history. My last day in iran, she shoved a thin paper package into my hand and whispered read it. Your first book is khomeinism by ervand abrahamian yes, abrahamian is one of the leading historians of modern iran. The best books on iranian history, as recommended by historian ali ansari.
Abbas amanat combines chronological and thematic approaches, exploring events with lasting implications for modern iran and the world. Mar 06, 2017 the books here are just a sample of iranian literature. Early history to the zand dynasty iran has a long and rich history. By prehistoric iran, we refer to the part of iranian history from the date of irans oldest archaeological site discovered in northern iran and believed to be 800,000 years old upto the rise of the elamites in around 3200bc when iran becomes historical. Far from breaking my spirit, sadegh hedayats blind owl woke me up shadi gholizadeh. In the intervening years, the country has experienced a bitter war with iraq, the transformation of society under the clergy and. A stately, scholarly study of irans modern development, emphasizing themes of iranian distinctness from arab and western cultures and traditions. In a reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discovery of oil, imperial interventions, the rule of the pahlavis and, in 1979, revolution and the birth of the islamic republic. The best books on modern iran recommended by jasmin darznik. The clergys revenge a modern history of iran books. The visual storytelling gives the books an immediate appeal and places them very much in the mainstream, accessible to many who would not normally pick up a book on iran.
Some of the worlds most ancient settlements have been excavated in the caspian region and on the iranian plateau. The article iran contains a description of the geography and economy of the modern country and a short account of its history since the arab invasion of the 7th cent. Past and present, a talk at the british library today. My purpose is to present an interpretation of the recent history of iran based upon characteristics of iranian society which have determined the success of the internal and external policies of successive governments. Whenever im asked to recommend a modern iranian novel, i have to keep. In a reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abraham. Abbas amanat looks at the role that cultural, literary and intellectual ideas have played in irans interpretations of political and clerical. Protests that led to the 1906 revolution came from modern day iraq, karbala, najaf as well as iranian highlands around modern tehran. List of books and articles about iranian history online.
The supreme leader of iran also referred to as supreme leader of the islamic revolution but. A masterfully researched and compelling history of iran from 1501 to 2009 this history of modern iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. It offers a revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped by currents that sometimes reach back hundreds of years. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of iran against the background of dynastic changes, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupation, and the rise of the islamic republic. The middle east journal, volume 63, number 1, winter 2009, pp. A modern history isbn 9780300112542 pdf epub abbas. With iran again the focus of the worlds attention, a history of iran is an essential guide to understanding this volatile nation. A history of modern iran, ervand abrahamian in a reappraisal of iran s modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discovery of oil, imperial interventions, the rule of the pahlavis and, in 1979, revolution and the birth of the islamic republic. Memoirs of a government servant in the 1960s and 70s houshang pirnazar. Tuba va manayi shab touba and the meaning of night 1989. Iranian fiction score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Unlike many other middle east countries, iran managed to remain independent throughout much of its history.
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