Ten books that reveal a great deal about Iran’s politics and culture

1. A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind by Michael Axworthy (2016): An illuminating exploration of Iran’s rich and multifaceted history by a renowned scholar of Iranian history and culture, A History of Iran provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the country that spans from antiquity to the present-day Islamic Republic. It delves into Iran’s ancient roots, tracing the rise of successive empires such as the Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanians, which left an indelible mark on the region’s politics, culture, and identity. He also examines the impact of Islam on Iran, from the Arab conquests of the 7th century to the establishment of the Safavid dynasty in the 16th century, which heralded the country’s transformation into a Shia Muslim state. He explores the interplay between religion and politics, as well as the enduring influence of Persian literature, art, and philosophy on Islamic civilization. He writes in detail about Iran’s encounters with external powers, including the Mongols, Turks, and Europeans, and the challenges of modernisation and nation-building in the 19th and 20th centuries. Axworthy also highlights key moments in Persian history: the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, the rise of Reza Shah Pahlavi, and the Islamic Revolution of 1979, which reshaped Iran’s trajectory and its place in the world.

2. Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope by Shirin Ebadi (2017): It’s a gripping firsthand account of one woman’s journey through the tumultuous landscape of post-revolutionary Iran. Ebadi, a human rights activist and the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, shares her remarkable story with honesty and courage. The memoir begins with Ebadi’s early years as a pioneering female judge in pre-revolutionary Iran, where she navigated the complexities of the legal system while advocating for justice and equality. However, with the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Ebadi’s world was turned upside down as the new regime imposed strict religious laws and restrictions on women’s rights. Despite facing persecution and threats to her safety, Ebadi refused to be silenced. Iran Awakening chronicles her relentless struggle for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in the face of authoritarianism and oppression. From defending political prisoners to representing marginalized groups, Ebadi became a ray of hope for countless Iranians seeking justice and freedom.

3. In the Streets of Tehran: Woman. Life. Freedom. by Nila, translated by Poupeh Missaghi (2023): After the death of Mahsa-Jina Amini in September 2022, the angry cries of the Iranian people ricocheted through the streets. Citizens of all ages and backgrounds come together to call for an end to the regime’s injustice, violence and repression, chanting ‘Woman, life, freedom’. The protests were the most widespread the country had seen since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. But they were also part of a long struggle for women’s rights in Iran. In this book, an anonymous Iranian woman describes her daily activism in the streets of Tehran, and shows it to be part of a long and powerful tradition of female resistance. Missaghi, the translator, published Trans(re)lating House One (Coffee House Press), a hybrid investigation of the 2009 protests in Iran, in 2020. Based in Denver, Colorado, She is an assistant professor of literary arts and studies at the University of Denver and a faculty mentor at the Pacific Northwest College of Art MFA.

4. Iran Between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian (1982): A seminal book on the history of Iran, Iran Between Two Revolutions examines the era between the constitutional revolution of 1905-1911 and the Islamic Revolution of 1979, each driven by divisions in religion, ethnicity and class. Central to Abrahamian’s narrative is the examination of Iran’s oil industry and its impact on politics and society. He elucidates how the exploitation of Iran’s oil resources by foreign companies, particularly the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later British Petroleum), became a focal point of anti-colonial resistance and nationalist sentiment, ultimately fuelling the drive towards nationalization under Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in the early 1950s. Abrahamian also explores the rise of opposition movements, including the leftist Tudeh Party and the Islamist forces led by Ayatollah Khomeini, whose ideologies clashed with the authoritarian rule of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, and the failure of the Shah’s regime from 1953 to 1978. He analyses the social, economic, and cultural grievances that triggered popular discontent and paved the way for the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

5. Iran: A Modern History by Abbas Amanat (2017): Masterfully researched, it is a magisterial account of the past 500 years of Iranian history — from 1501 to 2009 — beginning with the rise of the Safavid dynasty and the entrenchment of Shia Islam and its clerical establishment into the Persian ruling classes. Amanat, an Iranian-born American historian, spent two decades writing his book, tracing historical tales of political intrigue and Iran’s shifting position in imperial geopolitics. He attempts to draw meaning from this history by looking for parallels between Persia’s unstable Safavid past and Iran’s current theocratic regime. He tells us about Iran’s attempts at reform and modernisation under successive rulers such as Naser al-Din Shah and Reza Shah Pahlavi and explains the challenges and contradictions inherent in these efforts. He also writes about the role of social movements, intellectual currents, and cultural transformations in shaping Iran’s modern identity, including the rise of nationalism, the emergence of modern literature and art, and the influence of religious revivalism and secular ideologies.

6. Iran: The Rebirth of a Nation by Hamid Dabashi (2016): Dabashi, Iranian-American professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and author of over 20 books, provides a provocative account of Iran in its current resurrection as a mighty regional power. Through a careful study of contemporary Iranian history in its political, literary, and artistic dimensions, he ‘decouples’ the idea of Iran from its colonial linkage to the clichéd notion of the nation-state. Central to Dabashi’s thesis is the notion of Iran’s ‘rebirth’ as a nation, characterized by its capacity for reinvention. He argues that despite centuries of foreign intervention and domestic turmoil, Iran has consistently asserted its independence and asserted its distinct cultural and political identity. This rebirth has allowed for repressed political and cultural forces to surface, redefining the nation’s future beyond its fictive postcolonial borders and autonomous from the state apparatus that wishes but fails to rule it. Iran’s sovereignty, Dabashi argues, is inaugurated through an active and open-ended self-awareness of the nation’s history and recent political and aesthetic instantiations, as it has been sustained by successive waves of revolutionary prose, poetry, and visual and performing arts performed categorically against the censorial will of the state. Debashi also analyses the impact of global geopolitics and regional dynamics on Iran's internal affairs, from the Cold War rivalries of the mid-20th century to the contemporary challenges posed by the US-led interventions in the Middle East, and Iran’s relationship with the West.

7. Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran by Roya Hakakian (2005): In this memoir, Iranian-Jewish writer and journalist Hakakian recollects her days as a fervent young revolutionary during Iran’s 1978-1979 upheaval and her transformation into a disillusioned observer, who witnessed the subversion of her aspirations by religious authoritarianism. She writes about the erosion of democratic hopes and the suppression of intellectual and egalitarian values, which affected not only her Jewish community but all Iranians regardless of faith. Hakakian, the daughter of an esteemed poet, was 12 when the revolution swept through Tehran. Growing up in a household that hummed with intellectual life, as a schoolgirl, she watched her friends being escorted from class by Islamic Society guards. Accused of reading ‘blasphemous books,’ they never returned. It was much later that Hakakian learnt that she was spared a similar fate because her teacher admired her writing. She writes what was it like for women after Iran fell into the hands of fundamentalists, and how she navigated the new social and political realities imposed by the regime, including restrictions on women’s rights, censorship, and ideological indoctrination.

8. My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad (1973): This subversive (and beloved) novel by Iraj Pezeshkzad, who passed away in February 2022, is a satire on Iranian society during the early 20th century. Set in the fictional household of an eccentric family in Tehran, the novel is narrated by an unnamed boy who idolizes his larger-than-life uncle, known affectionately as ‘Uncle Napoleon.’ The novel unfolds against the waning days of the Qajar dynasty and the growing influence of Western imperialism. Pezeshkzad explores themes of power, authority, and identity, while also offering a humorous critique of social norms and customs. Uncle Napoleon is a pompous and delusional patriarch, who fancies himself as a military genius and a ladies’ man. Despite his grandiose self-image, his schemes and machinations often backfire, leading to comedic misadventures and misunderstandings within the family. Through the eyes of the young narrator, we are introduced to a colourful cast of characters, including Uncle Napoleon’s long-suffering wife, his scheming sister-in-law, and his bumbling servants. My Uncle Napoleon is a subtle critique of authoritarianism, patriarchy, and social inequality.

9. Persepolis I & II by Marjane Satrapi (2005, 2008): French-Iranian graphic novelist Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel depicts the author’s childhood in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the coming-of-age story of her life in Tehran from ages six to 14 — years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. Marjane, the intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country. With wit and insight, Satrapi writes about revolution, exile, and the search for identity as a confused and curious child. The New York Times describes this as “a wholly original achievement” in which Satrapi evokes herself and her schoolmates coming of age in a world of protests and disappearances.

10. The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat (1936): This haunting and surreal Persian novella, considered a masterpiece of Persian literature and a seminal work of modernist fiction, delves into the psyche of an unnamed protagonist who grapples with existential despair and madness. Set in a dreamlike world where reality and fantasy blur, the narrative unfolds as a fragmented and hallucinatory confession, revealing the protagonist’s descent into madness and obsession with a mysterious woman. The Guardian described it ‘as a feverish tale of a pen-case painter’s descent into the nightmare of his own psyche as the reader is exposed to his mistrust of oppressive forces, abuse of power, sexual and gender hierarchy, and the constraints of modern Iranian society,’ adding that no other novel better illuminates the state of modern Iranian alienation and isolation, or the Persian ability to make the disturbing beautiful.