Additional information
by Abbas Milani (Author), Mahasti Afshar (Translator)
Simorgh: Portraits on My Mind is one of Abbas Milani's most self-reflective and engaging books, named
after the fabulous bird in Iranian mythology and poetry that personifies
the quest for knowledge, solace, and self-discovery.
The rise of the Islamic regime in Iran following the revolution of 1979
marked an era of cataclysmic change, accompanied by myriad
conspiracy theories about its origins. The portraits presented in Simorgh,
each a cross between a brief essay and a short story, explore the
lives and loves, youthful illusions and utopian dreams, the harrowing
experiences of prison and exile, and the diasporic accomplishments
and exilic traumas of individuals who either actively or inadvertently
paved the way for the revolution - or whose lives were crushed by the
nightmarish reality of contemporary Iran.
The subjects of these portraits, all contemporaries of Milani, include
some of Iran's most renowned writers, politicians, scholars, and activists,
alongside friends and family members who act as a poignant chorus to
the unfolding saga. Abbas Milani, who lived and worked in Iran until 1987
and was deeply embedded in the crosscurrents of these lives, o ers an
intimate perspective on their stories. Together, these portraits weave a
cohesive narrative, creating a cumulative e ect that is both profound
and compelling.
Abbas Milani has served as the founding director of
the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University since
2005. His extensive body of work includes The Persian
Sphinx: Amir-Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the
Revolution and The Shah. He is currently working on a
book about Reza Shah. Simorgh, originally written and
published in two volumes in Persian has been masterfully
translated into English by Mahasti Afshar.
Engaging and insightful, Simorgh is Milani at his best and will enthrall both
those new to his work and those already familiar with it.
