Blood & Oil: A Prince's Memoir of Iran, from the Shah to the Ayatollah

by Manucher Farmanfarmaian and Roxane Farmanfarmaian

Book Overview

PEN/West Award Finalist

" Told with energy, perception and great charm. . . . For anyone who wants to . . . gain insight into the great cultural and political richness of Iran, past, present and future, this book is a marvelous introduction."
--Fred Halliday, Los Angeles Times

Iran was the first country in the Middle East to develop an oil industry, and oil has been central to its tumultuous twentieth-century history. A finalist...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812975081
• ISBN13: 9780812975086
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to gain an understanding of the psyche of the Iranians and why they feel so bitter towards the way the west has treated them and duped them out of hundreds of billions of dollars. A great insight into the British shenanigans in Iran. Manouchehr Framanfarmaian was in a unique position during a unique period of Iran's history and I found the story enlightening, interesting, saddening and I am grateful that he wrote it.

The Shah's Iran; Before the Deluge

Prince Manucher Farmanfarmaian was born in 1917 as a Prince of Persia's reigning Qajar Dynasty. He was raised in a world of Oriental luxury in his father's harem. After obtaining a "proper" education in England, he returned to his homeland, which had changed forever. The Qajar Dynasty had been overthrown and replaced by a Military Officer named Reza Pahlavi, a man determined to "modernise" Iran. As the new Pahlavi Dynasty worked to break the power of the Persian Nobility, they would lead to the creation of a nation of hedonistic aristocrats, not only divorced from the common people but increasingly from reality in general. Writing these memoirs with the aid of his daughter Roxanne, Prince Farmanfarmaian delves deep into the splendor of the Pahlavi Dynasty, while at the same time revealing the very blunders which brought them down. From the profiteering of Reza Shah the Great, to the disastrous socialism of Mossadegh, to the havoc that the last Shah's "land reform" wreaked on the economy, the reader will deeply enjoy being swept away into a nation's tortured history. When the Mullahs finally seize controll and the Prince is forced to follow the Shah into exile, the reader will be on the edge of their seat wondering if he will finally escape. Prince Manucher and Princess Roxanne are to be applauded for taking up the challenge of the glory that was the Pahlavis, without at all ignoring their warts and pimples.

The Prince of Storytelling

Where, oh post-modern America, are you going to find a true tale of royalty and restoration like this? Nowhere, but from the prince himself, Manucher Farman-Farmaian, who sweeps us up in luxuriant confidentiality, whisking us on a gallop through a forgotten era, Shiites and communists hot on our trail. So he was less than streetwise as dissent gathered like storm clouds. I wanted to see the glory that was Iran--not the darkness descending on it. I wanted to meet the inner sanctum of the Pahlavi dynasty and the relics of Farmaian's own kingly clan. Moreso, I wanted to know that this likable bon vivant escaped the senseless butchery of Khomenei's hoodlums and hangers-on. And when he does, I feel as if we've both escaped. Captivatingly written. I'd read whatever this wise man had to share, about the new life or the old.

Reads like a thriller plus its fabulously informative

The cover of this book was a little intimidating--It looked to be a dryly academic men's book. What a wonderful surprise lies waiting inside. I could not put it down. It is a thrilling read and very informative.Even this opinionated woman was taken with the eloquent narrative, the compelling story and impressed by the honesty of the author.A GREAT READ

Should be read by people living in the "Western Hemisphere."

This book although slanted with respect to Manucher Farmanfarmaian's family and particularly his father is a must read for people who have been taught and only know a western perspective of history as it relates to the Middle East and specifically Iran. Not only does it help to humanize the reader's attitude towards Iran, it also helps Eurocentrists (which most Americans tend to be) to understand why and how Iran was taken over by an extreme part of the Islamic fundamentalist religion. Manucher helps the reader understand how OPEC came into existence and how Ecuador played a major role in the eventual creation of OPEC. Manucher also explains the attitude Iran had toward England vis-a-vis Germany during World War II and why they actually initially hoped Germany would win the war--not because they loved Hitler or hated Jews, but because they wanted England out of their country where they were controlling the bulk of the oil in Iran. These sentiments exist all over the world by most non-Europeans towards England and now exist towards the United States more than most policymakers in the United States seem to understand. We need to step back and take a look at how we are resented and why. The problems that presently exist in the Middle East are a creation of policies we (US and Europe) began and now are being taken advantage of by religious fanatics who are preying on the resentment the common people have towards the United States. This book is an eye-opener and should definitely be read by "westeners." Even if Eurocentrists don't change their attitude towards this part of the world, it will help them to understand that part of the world.