Hazhir Teimourian
A Tale of Two Peoples
The Persians: Ancient, Medieval and Modern Iran
By Homa Katouzian
Yale University Press 442pp £30 order from our bookshop
Shah Abbas: The Ruthless King who Became an Iranian Legend
By David Blow
I B Tauris 278pp £14.99 order from our bookshop
The recent scenes on television of two types of Iranians clashing on the streets of Tehran have puzzled many. One type – those who protested against the blatantly rigged presidential election – appeared modern and demanded to be allowed to be part of the world as it is today. The other, the supporters of the clerics in power, had a medieval air about them. Each burned with hatred of the other.
Having known both for a long time and having spoken to some of the protesters recently, I can vouch that the differences go far beyond whom they want to form the next government of the Islamic ‘Republic’. They are two separate nations, inhabiting opposing universes. One might loosely
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
'Like so many of Ishiguro’s human narrators ... Klara contains within herself divisions and contradictions, pockets of knowledge that she isn’t able to synthesise fully.'
@infomodernist reviews 'Klara and the Sun'.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/our-virtual-friend
Surveillance, facial recognition and control: my review of @jonfasman's "We See It All" https://literaryreview.co.uk/watching-the-watchers via @Lit_Review
I reviewed Diary of a Film by Niven Govinden for @Lit_Review https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-directors-cut