The Shah (book)
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.jpg) English first edition | |
| Author | Abbas Milani |
|---|---|
| Original title | A look at the Shahنگاهی به شاه |
| Language | Persian |
| Pages | 602 |
The Shah (Persian: نگاهی به شاه, A look at the Shah) is a 2011 book by Abbas Milani, published by Macmillan. It is a biography of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the final Shah of Iran.
Susanne Pari of the San Francisco Chronicle stated that the biography was even-handed, lacking bias, and that it was "a fair and insightful account of a psychologically complex man who was ill-suited for a hard job, yet unable to give up or give in."[1] Stanley Meisler, in a Los Angeles Times article, also stated that the book had a neutral tone even though Pahlavi's government had previously persecuted Milani.[2]
Milani, a political scientist,[3] is in charge of Stanford University's Iranian Studies program.[2] He had immigrated to the United States but later took a position in Iran as a teacher.[3] He had been imprisoned by the Pahlavi government.[2] Milani returned to Iran after the overthrow of the shah, but left again in 1986 when he had a conflict with the new rulers. Christian Caryl of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty stated that the persecution from both Pahlavi and Ayatollah forces likely influenced Milani's impartiality.[4] He read diplomatic reports and other formerly classified information from Iran, the United Kingdom, and the United States as part of his research. He also conducted several interviews.[1]
Contents
Pari stated that Pahlavi appears "distrustful and paranoid", based on failed assassination attempts and other actions against him, and that the author's research validates this portrait.[1] Milani had described Pahlavi as "in the classical sense of the word, a tragic figure — a hare pretending to roar like a lion."[2] The book uses lines from King Richard II at the start of each chapter;[1] this was done to compare Pahlavi to Richard II of England.[5] The final portion of the book chronicles the overthrow of Pahlavi.[2]