Hazhir Teimourian
A Tale of Two Peoples
The Persians: Ancient, Medieval and Modern Iran
By Homa Katouzian
Yale University Press 442pp £30
Shah Abbas: The Ruthless King who Became an Iranian Legend
By David Blow
I B Tauris 278pp £14.99
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
Twitter Feed
Under its longest-serving editor, Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair was that rare thing – a New York society magazine that published serious journalism.
@PeterPeteryork looks at what Carter got right.
Peter York - Deluxe Editions
Peter York: Deluxe Editions - When the Going Was Good: An Editor’s Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines by Graydon Carter
literaryreview.co.uk
Henry James returned to America in 1904 with three objectives: to see his brother William, to deliver a series of lectures on Balzac, and to gather material for a pair of books about modern America.
Peter Rose follows James out west.
Peter Rose - The Restless Analyst
Peter Rose: The Restless Analyst - Henry James Comes Home: Rediscovering America in the Gilded Age by Peter Brooks...
literaryreview.co.uk
Vladimir Putin served his apprenticeship in the KGB toward the end of the Cold War, a period during which Western societies were infiltrated by so-called 'illegals'.
Piers Brendon examines how the culture of Soviet spycraft shaped his thinking.
Piers Brendon - Tinker, Tailor, Sleeper, Troll
Piers Brendon: Tinker, Tailor, Sleeper, Troll - The Illegals: Russia’s Most Audacious Spies and the Plot to Infiltrate the West by Shaun Walker
literaryreview.co.uk