Review
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“The defiant spirit of the country is brought to life in this
monumental history of the past 500 years.”—Richard Spencer,
The Times (London)
“No book could be more pertinent for American readers . . . Mr.
Amanat searches for patterns to make [Iran’s] tumultuous history
lucid to nonspet readers. . . His account, in all its
melancholy splendor, comes to embody what the 20th-century
Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad called ‘a sorrowful stroll in the
garden of memories.’”—Eric Ormsby, The Wall Street Journal
“For those with an interest in this pivotal and mercurial
country, Abbas Amanat’s magisterial study is too important to
ignore.”—Justin Marozzi, Sunday Times (London)
“A majestic work that goes a long way in unraveling for an
American audience the country’s enigmas and apparent
contradictions.”—Ervand Abrahamian, The New York Review of Books
“Amanat is a skillful narrator whose use of sources and anecdotes
is illuminating. His book should be read by anyone who is curious
about the history of political philosophy and ideas.”—The
Economist
“A stately, scholarly study.”—Kirkus Reviews
"Yale historian Amanat’s absorbing history takes readers from
the battlefields of Anatolia, where the Safavid dynasty rose
through many vicissitudes, through to trysts with democratic
experiments to the 1979 theocratic revolution ushered in by
Ayatollah Khomeini."—Nayan Chanda, Global Asia Book Reviews
“Navigating a history as rich and diverse—not to mention as
violent and desperate—as that of Iran is no easy feat but Amanat
succeeds in his task with omb. His route down this turbulent
course is as thoroughly researched and painstakingly structured
as it is fascinating.”—John Burns, PopMatters.com
“Amanat’s style of writing and his erudition in various aspects
of Iranian history turns the book into a smooth, well‐crafted,
and informative read.”—Majid Motazer Mahdi, Reading Religion
Winner of the Outstanding Academic Title for 2018 Award,
sponsored by Choice
"This sweeping but richly detailed text is an impressive
of the longue durée of Iranian history since 1501.
Amanat interweaves narrative with stimulating analysis and
commentary on culture, society, and politics in Iran with a skill
based on deep scholarship and understanding. It is rare to find a
book that will be important for both those new to Iranian studies
and those already in the field: the former will find the book an
invaluable starting point, and the latter will gain much from
engaging with Amanat’s creative and challenging ins and
arguments."—Joanna de Groot, University of
York
"The appearance of this comprehensive and flowing narrative
history of early modern and modern Iran could not be more timely,
given the deep-seated misunderstandings and prejudices that
persist regarding that country. Few scholars could be as well
placed to write it as Abbas Amanat, who has devoted many decades
to studying Iran's history and culture. This is likely to remain
a work of reference that can be appreciated by students as well
as interested general readers. An impressive achievement!"—Sanjay
Subrahmanyam, Distinguished Professor of History, UCLA
"Lucid, readable, and erudite, Abbas Amanat's flowing narrative
uses comparisons and connections with the surrounding world to
reveal the dialogical and often defensive character of Iran's
routes to modernity. Amanat highlights the heterogeneous groups
and contending interests that shaped what he calls a 'Persianized
version of modernity.' Balancing analysis of changes in political
economy with the roles of public religion and the persistence of
cultural traditions, this is a compelling and comprehensive
conspectus of Iranian history with a magisterial command of
detail."—Nile Green, University of California, Los Angeles
"Iran is perhaps the most important poorly understood country in
the world--too big and wealthy to ignore, too complex and dynamic
to stereotype. Among this generation of historians of Iran, Abbas
Amanat stands as a giant. He conveys his enormous learning in
eloquent prose, retailing the country's dramatic struggles and
displaying gems of its intricate and profound culture with a
contagious excitement. Those who wish to understand how an early
modern Silk Road monarchy transformed into a contemporary
petroleum-fueled theocracy will find no more informed or
captivating guide."—Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Professor of
History and Director, Center for Middle Eastern and North African
Studies, University of Michigan
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About the Author
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Abbas Amanat is William Graham Sumner Professor of History at
Yale University and director of the Yale Program in Iranian
Studies at the MacMillan Center for International and Area
Studies. He lives in North Haven, CT.
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