The Economist’s Tehran correspondent Christopher de Bellaigue brings to light the never-before-told full story of one of the great anti-colonial heroes of the twentieth century: Muhammad Mossadegh, the great Iranian leader whose untimely demise resulted in the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and a man who has been demonized, ridiculed, and misunderstood in the West while remaining an icon and an inspiration across the Middle East. Patriot of Persia, the first biography exploring his life and impact, opens a crucial new window into Mossadegh—whose role in the evolution of Iran’s political climate cannot be overemphasized—providing a resource that will prove equally invaluable to academics, newshounds, and activists as they struggle to understand Mideast politics, Iran, Ahmadinejad, and the future of the region—and the world.
Christopher de Bellaigue has worked as a journalist in South Asia and the Middle East, writing for the Economist and the Financial Times, the Independent, and the New York Review of Books. His first book, In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs, was short-listed for the Royal Society of Literature's Ondaatje Prize, and his second, Rebel Land, was short-listed for the 2010 Orwell Prize. He and his wife divide their time between London and Tehran.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Prologue: Father of the Nation i
1 The Unchanging East 7
2 A Silver Spoon 18
3 Fokoli 34
4 Razing Caesarea 44
5 Eclipse of the Qajars 65
6 Isolation 87
7 The Tragedy of Khadijeh 100
8 The Prize 108
9 Victory or Death 130
10 Mossadeghism 158
11 Winning America 175
12 Riding Satan's Donkey 186
13 A Coup of his Own 217
14 Mussy Duck Shoot 231
15 Unperson 253
Epilogue: A Movement in Men's Minds 271
Notes 279
Bibliography 289
Illustrations 297
Index 299
What People are Saying About This
Tara Bahrampour
“Portrayed by Bellaigue as a classic tragic hero…the book presents a nuanced portrait of an enigmantic man whose brilliance and fairmindedness fatally collided with his pride and rigidity.”
Roger Cohen
“Brilliant…deft…De Bellaigue, fluent in Farsi, draws on previously unused Iranian sources to bring Mossadegh to vivid life…De Bellaigue’s powerful portrait is also a timely reminder that further Western recklessness toward Iran…would only pile tragedy upon tragedy.”
Max Hastings
“Compelling… the West has handled its relationship with Iran as badly as possible… we have little leverage with its people…de Bellaigue’s book goes far to explain why.”
