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A History of Iran
- Author
- Michael Axworthy
- Narrator
- Darius Joseph
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Publish Date
- 11 March 2025
- Run Time
- 13 hours 21 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
The definitive history of Iran, from the ancient Persian empires to today.
“Michael Axworthy’s deft untangling of the country’s history, from the advent of Zoroastrianism to the 1979 revolution, is a stunning achievement.” -Guardian
Iran is a land of contradictions. It is an Islamic republic, but one in which only 1.4 percent of the population attend Friday prayers. Iran’s religious culture encompasses the most censorious and dogmatic Shi’a Muslim clerics in the world, yet its poetry insistently dwells on the joys of life: wine, beauty, sex. Iranian women are subject to one of the most restrictive dress codes in the Islamic world but make up nearly 60 percent of the student population of the nation’s universities.
In A History of Iran, acclaimed historian Michael Axworthy chronicles the rich history of this complex nation from the Achaemenid Empire of sixth century BC to the revolution of 1979 to today, including a close look at Iran’s ongoing attempts to become a nuclear power.
This comprehensive volume offers general readers an essential guide to understanding this volatile nation, which is once again at the center of the world’s attention.
Critics Review
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"Michael Axworthy’s deft untangling of the country’s history, from the advent of Zoroastrianism to the 1979 revolution, is a stunning achievement.”—Guardian
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“A beautifully distilled retelling of Iranian history that flashes with insight on every page.”—Financial Times
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“[An] excellent short history.”—Daily Telegraph (UK)
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“Michael Axworthy’s deft untangling of the country’s history, from the advent of Zoroastrianism to the 1979 revolution, is a stunning achievement.”—Observer (UK)
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“Axworthy does the job with balance and aplomb. Readers who fear that they may shrink in confusion will warm to his human-scale portrait of a self-renewing culture that, as with its world-beating cinema today, shows ‘enduring greatness’ and ‘creative power.’”—Independent (UK)
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“The best available single-volume introduction to Iran’s history.”—New Statesman (UK)
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“More gripping than a novel... Empire of the Mind’s account of Iran today and the challenges it faces is worth a thousand documentaries and newspaper briefing articles.”—Prospect (UK)
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“Exceptionally lucid, intriguing and informative... Without rose-glasses or narrowed eyes, without being an apologist or a zealot opponent, Axworthy presents a history by turns thrilling, cautionary, inspiring and surprising.”—The Scotsman
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“More than a history of Iran, Axworthy’s book is an argument against the use of force in solving the Iranian problem. When Western states take into consideration the facts and ideas he has marshaled in his history, they will bring a needed awareness of the tradition of Iranian reason and tolerance to future diplomacy.”—H-Net
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“Sweeping, sensitive and evenhanded overview of the ancient nation, from the days of the prophet Zoroaster to those of the Islamic Republic.... Axworthy’s reasoned survey will be especially helpful to lay readers and students of Arab history.”—Kirkus
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“An engrossing, powerfully argued, and elegantly written history of a country which finds itself again at the center of international affairs.”—Justin Marozzi, author of Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World
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Details
- Author
- Michael Axworthy
- Narrator
- Darius Joseph
- Duration
- 13 hours 21 minutes
- Release Date
- 11 March 2025
- ISBN
- 9781668652633
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Genre
- Middle Eastern history, Politics and government, Islam, History of religion, Ancient history
Synopsis
The definitive history of Iran, from the ancient Persian empires to today.“Michael Axworthy’s deft untangling of the country’s history, from the advent of Zoroastrianism to the 1979 revolution, is a stunning achievement.” -Guardian Iran is a land of contradictions. It is an Islamic republic, but one in which only 1.4 percent of the population attend Friday prayers. Iran’s religious culture encompasses the most censorious and dogmatic Shi’a Muslim clerics in the world, yet its poetry insistently dwells on the joys of life: wine, beauty, sex. Iranian women are subject to one of the most restrictive dress codes in the Islamic world but make up nearly 60 percent of the student population of the nation’s universities. In A History of Iran, acclaimed historian Michael Axworthy chronicles the rich history of this complex nation from the Achaemenid Empire of sixth century BC to the revolution of 1979 to today, including a close look at Iran’s ongoing attempts to become a nuclear power. This comprehensive volume offers general readers an essential guide to understanding this volatile nation, which is once again at the center of the world’s attention.
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