Homa Katouzian

With poetry which speaks across the ages, Sa'di (1210-1281) is a vital classical poet and a towering figure of the medieval Persian canon. In this essential new translation of Sa'di's work, leading expert on Iranian studies Homa Katouzian seeks to bring the poet's lyrics to a new readership. The book provides the Persian text and Katouzian's English translation side-by-side, creating an indispensable tool for students and enthusiasts of Iranian history, literature and culture.

Parvin E'tesami and Persian Poetry: A Critical Literary Biography offers the first comprehensive, critically rigorous examination of Parvin E'tesami within the context of the conflict between ‘new’ and ‘old’ Persian poetry. She was the pioneering female poet who impacted the landscape of modern Persian literature. Spanning the crucial decades of Persian poetry's transition from classical to modern forms, this biography explores the intricate relationship between Parvin's literary innovations and the broader cultural, social, and political transformations of early twentieth-century Iran. From her precocious debut at thirteen - publishing verse so sophisticated that critics assumed a male authorship - to her recognition as a master comparable to Persian literary giants, the book traces how Parvin navigated gender barriers while championing social justice through her poetry. Through detailed analysis of her complete works (Divan, 1935) and extensive archival research, the study examines her unique position within Tehran's intellectual elite, her American education's influence on her feminist consciousness, and her profound empathy for society's marginalized voices. The biography critically addresses the contested reception of Parvin's legacy, from the overwhelming praise of contemporary critics who celebrated her technical mastery and humanitarian vision, to the misguided dismissal by later modernist critics who faulted her for not conforming to experimental literary trends. Through careful textual analysis and historical contextualization, the book demonstrates how Parvin's enduring influence - evidenced by her poems' continued presence in Iranian curricula - reflects her successful synthesis of classical Persian poetic traditions with modern social consciousness. A groundbreaking contribution to Persian literary studies, women's literary history, and Middle Eastern cultural scholarship, this biography is essential reading for scholars of comparative literature, gender studies, Islamic civilization, and Iranian intellectual history.

Satire, irony and humour have long been features of Persian literature’s rich tradition, taking various forms from the coarse and obscene to the subtle and refined.Humour in Iran is a close and comprehensive study of satire and humour – in verse as well as prose – over the eleven-hundred years since the emergence of classical Persian literature. Combining Persian original texts with their English translations, it covers a range of texts and authors, from the lampoon in Ferdowsi’s great epic of the ancient kings in the tenth century, through such master satirists as Obeyd Zakani, Sa‘di, Rumi, Khayyam, Hafiz, Anvari, Sana’i, Khaqani, Suzani, Qa’ani, Yaghma, and so on. The book also includes twentieth century authors such as Iraj, Dehkhoda, Bahar, Eshqi, Aref, Hedayat, Jamalzadeh, Al-e Ahmad and more.A must read for scholars and students of humour and satire as well as Persian literature and Middle Eastern studies, and it will also appeal to general readers interested in ribald humour and satire.

Bringing together eighteen essays from Homa Katouzian, this book explores Iranian history, politics, culture and Persian literature from mediaeval times through the nineteenth century and into the contemporary period.Beginning with an overview of mediaeval Iranian history, the book then considers developments in the nineteenth century leading to the Constitutional Revolution of 1906-1911, which resulted in the fall of the Qajar dynasty (1785-1925). This is followed by a comprehensive overview of the Pahlavi monarchy (1925-1979) and a new and original analysis of the Iranian Revolution of February 1979. The book also includes essays on modern and classical Persian literature, encompassing Persian poetry and politics (1919-1925), the hitherto unstudied humour in Sadeq Hedayat’s life and works, a critical study of Forugh Farrokhzad, a study of Persian literary devices with special reference to the great Persian classic Sa‘di, and a study of Sa‘di as a lover of beauty and advocate of human morality.The book analyses Iran in a way that has seldom been done in one single volume – the history of the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties, the two great revolutions in the twentieth century, and the unfamiliar nature of state and society in Iranian history, as well as some of the high points in modern and classical Persian literature – and is vital reading for anyone interested in the Middle East.

Bringing together eighteen essays from Homa Katouzian, this book explores Iranian history, politics, culture and Persian literature from mediaeval times through the nineteenth century and into the contemporary period.Beginning with an overview of mediaeval Iranian history, the book then considers developments in the nineteenth century leading to the Constitutional Revolution of 1906-1911, which resulted in the fall of the Qajar dynasty (1785-1925). This is followed by a comprehensive overview of the Pahlavi monarchy (1925-1979) and a new and original analysis of the Iranian Revolution of February 1979. The book also includes essays on modern and classical Persian literature, encompassing Persian poetry and politics (1919-1925), the hitherto unstudied humour in Sadeq Hedayat’s life and works, a critical study of Forugh Farrokhzad, a study of Persian literary devices with special reference to the great Persian classic Sa‘di, and a study of Sa‘di as a lover of beauty and advocate of human morality.The book analyses Iran in a way that has seldom been done in one single volume – the history of the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties, the two great revolutions in the twentieth century, and the unfamiliar nature of state and society in Iranian history, as well as some of the high points in modern and classical Persian literature – and is vital reading for anyone interested in the Middle East.

Satire, irony and humour have long been features of Persian literature’s rich tradition, taking various forms from the coarse and obscene to the subtle and refined.Humour in Iran is a close and comprehensive study of satire and humour – in verse as well as prose – over the eleven-hundred years since the emergence of classical Persian literature. Combining Persian original texts with their English translations, it covers a range of texts and authors, from the lampoon in Ferdowsi’s great epic of the ancient kings in the tenth century, through such master satirists as Obeyd Zakani, Sa‘di, Rumi, Khayyam, Hafiz, Anvari, Sana’i, Khaqani, Suzani, Qa’ani, Yaghma, and so on. The book also includes twentieth century authors such as Iraj, Dehkhoda, Bahar, Eshqi, Aref, Hedayat, Jamalzadeh, Al-e Ahmad and more.A must read for scholars and students of humour and satire as well as Persian literature and Middle Eastern studies, and it will also appeal to general readers interested in ribald humour and satire.

Sadeq Hedayat is the most famous and the most enigmatic Iranian writer of the 20th century. This book is the first comprehensive study of Hedayat's life and works set against the background of literary and political developments in a rapidly changing Iran over the first half of the 20th century. Katouzian discusses Hedayat's life and times and the literary and political circles with which he was associated. But he also emphasises the uniqueness and universality of his ideas that have both influenced and set Hedayat apart from other Iranian writers of the period and that have given him a mystique that has been instrumental in his posthumous success with acclaimed works such as The Blind Owl.This second edition is fully revised and updated to reflect on recent debates and scholarship on Sadeq Hadeyat.

Sadeq Hedayat is the most famous and the most enigmatic Iranian writer of the 20th century. This book is the first comprehensive study of Hedayat's life and works set against the background of literary and political developments in a rapidly changing Iran over the first half of the 20th century. Katouzian discusses Hedayat's life and times and the literary and political circles with which he was associated. But he also emphasises the uniqueness and universality of his ideas that have both influenced and set Hedayat apart from other Iranian writers of the period and that have given him a mystique that has been instrumental in his posthumous success with acclaimed works such as The Blind Owl.This second edition is fully revised and updated to reflect on recent debates and scholarship on Sadeq Hadeyat.

Khalil Maleki (1901–1969) was a selfless campaigner for democracy and social welfare in twentieth-century Iran. His was a unique approach to politics, prioritising the criticism of policies detrimental to his country’s development over the pursuit of power itself. An influential figure, he was at the centre of such formative events as the split of the communist Tudeh party, and the 1953 coup and its aftermath. In an age of intolerance and uncompromising confrontation, Maleki remained an indefatigable advocate for open discussion and peaceful reform – a stance that saw him jailed several times. This work makes a compelling case for him to be regarded among the foremost thinkers of his generation.

Since the 1979 revolution, Iran has been locked in conflict with the United States and Europe. Personified in the West by a series of bogeymen from Ayatollah Khomeini to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, this villainous mask obscures a far more complex identity, forged by a vibrant and chaotic history. Revealing the country’s true face, acclaimed expert Homa Katouzian delves deep into Iran’s past, exploring how an ancient civilization at a crossroads of diverse dynasties and religions grew to become an ethnically, linguistically, and culturally rich nation. Centuries of arbitrary rule and revolution – from the first Persian empires to the Green Movement – are brought to life as Katouzian offers fresh insight into this fascinating country. Asking where its future may lie post–Arab Spring, this is the perfect primer for understanding a country characterized by constant flux and controversy.

This book offers a view of Iran through politics, history and literature, showing how the three angles combine. Iran, being a revolutionary society, experienced two great revolutions within the short span of just seventy years, from the 1900s to the 1970s. Both were massive revolts of the society against the state; the main objective of the first being to establish lawful government to make modernisation possible, and the second, to overthrow the absolute and arbitrary state, though this time mainly under the banner of religion and Marxism-Leninism and anti-Westernism. Neither of them succeeded in their lofty ideals for reasons that are explained and analysed within. The author also offers a detailed description of Iran’s short-term society, examining the political and intellectual lives of two of the most remarkable intellectuals-cum-politicians of the twentieth century. This book provides an overview of modern Persian literature, both poetry and prose, and discusses the works of three of the most remarkable Persian poets and writers of the period. It considers classical Persian literature through the great variety of its form and substance, and neo-classical literary developments in the nineteenth century, covering the whole history of Persian literature. This is crowned in the last chapter by the love poetry of one of the greatest Persian poets.Iran will be of interest to students and scholars of Iranian studies and Middle East Politics.

This book offers a view of Iran through politics, history and literature, showing how the three angles combine. Iran, being a revolutionary society, experienced two great revolutions within the short span of just seventy years, from the 1900s to the 1970s. Both were massive revolts of the society against the state; the main objective of the first being to establish lawful government to make modernisation possible, and the second, to overthrow the absolute and arbitrary state, though this time mainly under the banner of religion and Marxism-Leninism and anti-Westernism. Neither of them succeeded in their lofty ideals for reasons that are explained and analysed within. The author also offers a detailed description of Iran’s short-term society, examining the political and intellectual lives of two of the most remarkable intellectuals-cum-politicians of the twentieth century. This book provides an overview of modern Persian literature, both poetry and prose, and discusses the works of three of the most remarkable Persian poets and writers of the period. It considers classical Persian literature through the great variety of its form and substance, and neo-classical literary developments in the nineteenth century, covering the whole history of Persian literature. This is crowned in the last chapter by the love poetry of one of the greatest Persian poets.Iran will be of interest to students and scholars of Iranian studies and Middle East Politics.

This book contains the most detailed and comprehensive statement of Homa Katouzian's theory of arbitrary state and society in Iran, and its applications to Iranian history and politics, both modern and traditional. Every chapter is a study of its own specific topics while being firmly a part of the whole argument. The discussions include close comparisons with the history of Europe to demonstrate the diversities of the logic and sociology of Iranian history from their European counterparts. Being the first modern theory of Iranian history, it is highly regarded by Iranian historians and social scientists, especially as it has helped to resolve many of the anomalies resulting from the application of traditional theories.

One of greatest Persian writers of both classical prose and poetry, Sa‘di was revered in his time as a man of great wisdom and passion. Sometimes said to have lived over one hundred years, the body of his work was written in the thirteenth century. Filled with extracts of the poet’s melodious and insightful writing, and critical analysis thereof, this revealing biography examines why he was so idolised until the 1950s, and why since then he has fallen into relative obscurity. Focussing on the themes of both physical and spiritual love stitched through Sa‘di’s writing, as well as the impact of his many years travelling, Katouzian sheds a unique insight on who he calls 'the poet of life, love and compassion'.

This book contains the most detailed and comprehensive statement of Homa Katouzian's theory of arbitrary state and society in Iran, and its applications to Iranian history and politics, both modern and traditional. Every chapter is a study of its own specific topics while being firmly a part of the whole argument. The discussions include close comparisons with the history of Europe to demonstrate the diversities of the logic and sociology of Iranian history from their European counterparts. Being the first modern theory of Iranian history, it is highly regarded by Iranian historians and social scientists, especially as it has helped to resolve many of the anomalies resulting from the application of traditional theories.

Visit the Unspun website which includes Table of Contents and the Introduction. The World Wide Web has cut a wide path through our daily lives. As claims of "the Web changes everything" suffuse print media, television, movies, and even presidential campaign speeches, just how thoroughly do the users immersed in this new technology understand it? What, exactly, is the Web changing? And how might we participate in or even direct Web-related change? Intended for readers new to studying the Internet, each chapter in Unspun addresses a different aspect of the "web revolution"--hypertext, multimedia, authorship, community, governance, identity, gender, race, cyberspace, political economy, and ideology--as it shapes and is shaped by economic, political, social, and cultural forces. The contributors particularly focus on the language of the Web, exploring concepts that are still emerging and therefore unstable and in flux. Unspun demonstrates how the tacit assumptions behind this rhetoric mustbe examined if we want to really know what we are saying when we talk about the Web. Unspun will help readers more fully understand and become critically aware of the issues involved in living, as we do, in a wired society. Contributors include: Jay Bolter, Sean Cubitt, Jodi Dean, Dawn Dietrich, Cynthia Fuchs, Matthew Kirschenbaum, Timothy Luke, Vincent Mosco, Lisa Nakamura, Russell Potter, Rob Shields, John Sloop, and Joseph Tabbi.