Reviews
Beautifully written, intelligent and insightful, the memoirs of Farah Diba Pahlavi open a window on the life of one of the great women of our time and offer a unique perspective on the extraordinary country over which she and her husband reigned before darkness fell. Bob Colacello, writer and editor, Interview magazine Here is that rare thing: an important historical document, opening a window onto imperial Iran, which reads with the warmth and sagacity of a fairy tale, as a monarch picks a young woman to become his empress. Alastair Sooke, art critic and broadcaster, BBC Empress Farah, in a few words, is the essence of compassion, duty and dignity. She has left an incredible and lasting legacy which lives on, even with generations who were not born during her reign! Tina Ghazimorad, producer and presenter, Manoto TV Empress Farah Pahlavi is one of the most interesting women of the 20th century, and has led a life that could have come from the ancient annals of history. Married to the Shah of Persia at the age of 21 she assumed at once, what Queen Elizabeth II described, as 'the heavy obligations of monarchy.' She produced a son and heir and, between 1959 and 1978, dedicated her life to the service of her country, particularly in the realms of health, education and culture. In this remarkable book she tells a story that will dazzle and fascinate a new generation of readers. Her dedication and dignity shine through every page. Hugo Vickers She was the nicest Empress that I have ever met! David Bailey, CBE "One of the most impressive women one could ever meet, with a spellbinding story and a bravery and resilience that defies belief." Celia Walden, Editor-at-Large, Daily Telegraph
Synopsis
This memoir by empress Farah Pahlavi looks back on her reign over an Iran so modern it is unrecognizable today--written just a few years before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. "Beautifully written, intelligent and insightful, the memoirs of Farah Diba Pahlavi open a window on the life of one of the great women of our time and offer a unique perspective on the extraordinary country over which she and her husband reigned before darkness fell." --Bob Colacello, founding editorInterview magazine At the time I wrote my memoir, I had no idea what was to come . . . Empress Farah Pahlavi was the first crowned empress of Iran, little did she know she would also be the last. This memoir was written in 1976, at the height of her reign on the glittering peacock throne. The candid words reveal her vision for a better Iran, without any idea of what history would bring--the end of the fairy tale. Farah Pahlavihelped usher in a modern Iran now lost to the sands of time., As the first Empress is Persia's 2,500 history, Farah Pahlavi implemented a series of reforms that created a progressive, modernized Iran, an Iran touted by President Jimmy Carter as "an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world." She instituted literacy and education programs, hospitals and traveling doctors, and founded countless museums celebrating the rich history of Persia. One of the museums she founded, The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, is regarded as having the best collection of contemporary art, with an estimated value of over $3.5 billion dollars. The Islamic Revolution of 1978 erased all the progress Farah cultivated in Iran, closed the country's doors to outside ideas and visitors, and closed the doors on its custodians, casting the Empress and her family into exile. The maccinations of the Islamic regime make daily news and are headline making. As a result of this regression, Iranian women have once again been subjugated, few people have gotten to appreciate the modern Iran that once was, and the art and cultural value of one of the world's oldest regions. This long-awaited follow up to the previously published Iran Modern (Assouline, 2016), this title, complete with a new forward and pictures from the Empress' personal collection, will appeal to any Iranians abroad, including the 700,000 residing in Southern California alone, to students of history, religion, politics, fashion and jewellery, and to anyone involved in the contemporary conversation around women's rights and gender equality.
