King of Kings: The Fall of the Shah, the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Unmaking of the Modern Middle East

(Hardback)

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From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lawrence in Arabia, a spellbinding narrative history of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and its devastating consequences Before the revolution, the Shah of Iran seemed invincible. The world watched in awe as he commanded a huge army and oversaw an economy awash with billions of dollars of oil revenues. The regime's secret police had crushed communist opposition and the Shah appeared to have bought off the conservative Muslim clergy inside the country. On the international stage, Iran had become an invaluable ally to the West during the Cold War. But village streets spoke of a different country - people derided the Shah as an American lackey and blamed him for economic inequality, for spending recklessly on lavish parties and for ignoring the Muslim majority. When a volcanic religious revolution erupted, led by a fiery cleric named Ayatollah Khomeini, the Shah was forced off the throne and into exile. How did it all go so wrong Brilliantly brought to life by the Sunday Times bestselling author Scott Anderson, this gripping behind-the-scenes narrative reveals how the Iranian Revolution was as world-shattering an event as the French and Russian revolutions, and how its repercussions are still felt around the world today. In the Middle East, in India, in Southeast Asia, and now in Europe and the United States, the hatred of economically-marginalized, religiously-fervent masses for a wealthy secular elite has led to violence and upheaval - and Iran was the template.

Reviews

Fascinating... [Anderson] displays a masterly understanding of the politics of the region, and a fine judgement on Lawrence himself... first-rate... A highly intelligent contribution to the Lawrence literature * Max Hastings, Sunday Times on Lawrence in Arabia *
Tremendous... [Anderson] has written a masterpiece of detachment about a subject that defies easy acceptance, and made of it a work of tantalising fascination. * Jan Morris, Daily Telegraph on Lawrence in Arabia *
Gripping... Anderson's version of the story is a brilliantly pulled-off piece of narrative history that demonstrates both why Lawrence continues to grip our imagination and why he can be a deeply problematic lens through which to examine the tensions of the Middle East * William Dalrymple, New Statesman on Lawrence in Arabia *

Author Bio

Scott Anderson is the author of five works of non-fiction and two novels. His non-fiction includes Lawrence in Arabia, a Sunday Times bestseller which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is a contributing writer for New York Times Magazine.