Synopses & Reviews
A revelatory, myth-busting insider’s account of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that details the escalating horror as Ayatollah Khomeini seized power, altering the course of history in the Middle East and the world. James Buchan was studying in Iran in the 1970s when the turmoil that culminated in the revolution began. Fluent in Persian, he draws on a wealth of Iranian records, memoirs, and newspaper reports and brings an extraordinary depth of knowledge and personal experience to the first full account of that tumultuous time.
Buchan explores the roots of the revolution in the old regime and the role that American, British, and Russian interference played in creating fissures in the Shah’s base of power. He illuminates how even as the Iranian economy flourished, the Islamic clergy began to capture public loyalty, and argues that Ayatollah Khomeini was not the instigator of the first protests, as received wisdom stresses, and that religious frustration played a more important role.
Buchan captures the wildly escalating violence and overheated passions that gripped the country, reaching a fevered pitch when Khomeini returned from exile and launched a reign of terror and mass executions that left no viable opposition to his rule. A dramatic, scene-by-scene account with rich characterizations of the leading players as well as of the ordinary Iranians who were swept into the maelstrom, Days of God is history writing at its vivid best.
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"[Buchan] mines the literature in Persian and English to better effect than any historian so far....[a] fine, elegantly written book."
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"[Buchan] mines the literature in Persian and English to better effect than any historian so far....[a] fine, elegantly written book." < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - The Economist - < -="" -=""> - < -="" -="">
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and#8220;This is a compelling, beautifully written history of a country which has produced great literature, art and a warm people whose lives have been manipulated by other countries with ulterior motives and by their own autocratic and theocratic dictators.and#8221;
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and#8220;A soundly argued account of the causes, course and consequences of the revolution . . . Buchan, a Persian scholar and former Financial Times foreign correspondent, puts his first-hand experience of Iran to perceptive use.and#8221;
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and#8220;A wonderfully detailed and authoritative account of the Shahand#8217;s final days and the murder and mayhem that followed.and#8221;
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and#8220;A superb and original history of the Iranian Revolution. Itand#8217;s essential reading.and#8221;
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andlt;divandgt;"An outstanding analysis of the legacy of Iran's revolution."andlt;/divandgt;
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"A well-informed account of revolutionary Iran."
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and#8220;May be the best single general-audience book on the Iranian Revolution. . . . andlt;iandgt;Days of Godandlt;/iandgt; is a balanced portrait of an unbalanced time, and one of the most distinguished books about a revolution that has still not reached its conclusion.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;The author's grasp of Persian literature and the Persian language allows him to treat Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution with rare insight and compassion.and#8221;
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and#8220;Magisterial. . . . James Buchanand#8217;s andlt;iandgt;Days of Godandlt;/iandgt;, a survey of the Pahlavi years, with spectacular detail on the revolution itself, includes some deft portraiture and notes of literary grace. Buchan, who lived in Iran in the late 1970s, writes with an irreverence and confidence born of long familiarity, and the Iran of his history feels vibrantly present.and#8221;
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and#8220;An outstanding analysis of the legacy of Iranand#8217;s revolution.and#8221;
Synopsis
A myth-busting insider's account of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that destroyed US influence in the country and transformed the politics of the Middle East and the world.
The 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran was one of the seminal events of our time. It inaugurated more than thirty years of war in the Middle East and fostered an Islamic radicalism that shapes foreign policy in the United States and Europe to this day.
Drawing on his lifetime of engagement with Iran, James Buchan explains the history that gave rise to the Revolution, in which Ayatollah Khomeini and his supporters displaced the Shah with little diffi-culty. Mystifyingly to outsiders, the people of Iran turned their backs on a successful Westernized government for an amateurish religious regime. Buchan dispels myths about the Iranian Revolution and instead assesses the historical forces to which it responded. He puts the extremism of the Islamic regime in perspective: a truly radical revolution, it can be compared to the French or Russian Revolu-tions. Using recently declassified diplomatic papers and Persian-language news reports, diaries, memoirs, interviews, and theological tracts, Buchan illumi-nates both Khomeini and the Shah. His writing is always clear, dispassionate, and informative.
The Iranian Revolution was a turning point in modern history, and James Buchan's Days of God is, as London's Independent put it, "a compelling, beautifully written history" of that event.
Synopsis
andlt;Bandgt;A myth-busting insider's account of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that destroyed US influence in the country and transformed the politics of the Middle East and the world.
Synopsis
andlt;Bandgt;A myth-busting insider's account of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that destroyed US influence in the country and transformed the politics of the Middle East and the world.
Synopsis
The 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran was one of the seminal events of our time. It inaugurated more than thirty years of war in the Middle East and fostered an Islamic radicalism that shapes foreign policy in the United States and Europe to this day. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Drawing on his lifetime of engagement with Iran, James Buchan explains the history that gave rise to the Revolution, in which Ayatollah Khomeini and his supporters displaced the Shah with little diffiand#173;culty. Mystifyingly to outsiders, the people of Iran turned their backs on a successful Westernized government for an amateurish religious regime. Buchan dispels myths about the Iranian Revolution and instead assesses the historical forces to which it responded. He puts the extremism of the Islamic regime in perspective: a truly radical revolution, it can be compared to the French or Russian Revoluand#173;tions. Using recently declassified diplomatic papers and Persian-language news reports, diaries, memoirs, interviews, and theological tracts, Buchan illumiand#173;nates both Khomeini and the Shah. His writing is always clear, dispassionate, and informative. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;The Iranian Revolution was a turning point in modern history, and James Buchanand#8217;s andlt;I andgt;Days of Godandlt;/Iandgt; is, as Londonand#8217;s andlt;I andgt;Independentandlt;/Iandgt; put it, and#8220;a compelling, beautifully written historyand#8221; of that event.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;James Buchanandlt;/Bandgt; holds a degree in Persian studies from Oxford University. He worked for twelve years as a foreign correspondent for the andlt;i andgt;Financial Timesandlt;/iandgt;. He has written three works of nonfiction and six novels, including andlt;i andgt;Heartand#8217;s Journey in Winterandlt;/iandgt;, which won the andlt;i andgt;Guardianandlt;/iandgt; Fiction Award, and andlt;i andgt;A Good Place to Dieandlt;/iandgt;, which was a andlt;i andgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; Notable Book. He lives on a farm in eastern England.