Book Review: Semi-Memoir

Semi-Memoir by Ali Behzadi

In the pursuit of my examination of Iran's history, I read Ali Behzadi's book; Semi-Memoir: The Oral History of Pahlavi. This author was a long-time political journalist and the founder of Siah-o-Sefid (means Black and White) magazine published from 1953 to 1974. 
In this three-volume tome compiled from oral history, Behzadi introduces Pahlavi's political figures and intellectuals whom he personally met during his long career. This book contains short biographies of these people and how Behzadi gets to know them. Then he talks about how they helped or hindered independent journalism in Iran.
When reading this book, we are seeing Iran through the writer's eyes and through his emotions, with anecdotes from his personal life. This added flavor makes this book highly effective. Behzadi didn't write the book at the time the interactions happened, he wrote it when he grew old. The Siah-o-Sefid magazine was shut down for many years and most of the figures portrayed in the book had already died, some having been executed or had escaped from Iran. 
Behzadi reexamined those days with the wisdom of old age. The narrative is not linear, time jumps and characters reemerge in one another's storylines. The skillful writing honed from his long journalism career engages readers by revealing information little by little and unexpected conclusions to stories.

What did I learn from this book about Pahlavi's era?

After Mohammad Reza Shah was overthrown, Iran experienced a revolution, eight years of war with Iraq, and Iran's isolation from world-wide sanctions against the country. Over these years, the people start growing nostalgic for the previous regime and the dead king. I grew up pitied by elderly people in Iran that I had never seen the Pahlavi's era advancements and its affluence. Reading Semi-Memoir reinforced those sentiments. Year by year, the king gained control and with increased power, he became hard and bitter towards independent writers and thinkers. The Pahlavi regime was corrupted and its Kings, political figures, and the royal families did as they pleased.
In the Pahlavi regime, Mohammad Reza Shah was the only opinion that mattered. He made decisions without consultation and without reference to the constitution. At this time, Iran suffered from weak and wicked men in the political scene, who would not stand up to the Shah. Even a prime minister of the regime called himself the "house-born slave of the Shah”. Mohammad Reza Shah was aware of the corruption in his regime and he might have even approved, as he did not prosecute for indiscretions.

Life Stories that I enjoyed the most

Khandaniha's Cover

Hands down the biography of Ali Asghar Amirani was my favorite read in Semi-Memoir. He was a self-made man that lifted himself up from absolute poverty to become one of the most influential journalists of Iran with his magazine Khandaniha. Amirani’s original job was to sell horse racing tickets. He thought it would be more successful if combined with carefully selected stories and articles. Khandaniha means the “most interesting to read”, and each issue was a collection of articles from different magazines sold with the horse racing tickets! Amirani was one of the most interesting characters that I got to know by reading this book.
My next favorite was the biography of Mohammad Mosaddegh, Iranian's national hero and prime minister from 1951 until 1953. It was unique because of its emphasis on his personality and his youth before he became the influential figure known to history. Similar to the story of Amirani, the writer shows Mosaddegh’s great character as a result of his distinct habits and his ambition. It was interesting to me to find out Mosaddegh was a highly emotional man who sometimes cried and had fainted in the middle of hot political debates. 
The third story that touched me was the story of Dr. Hossein Fatemi, a talented journalist, and Mohammad Mosaddegh's right-hand man. His biography was highly emotional and sad. After Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown, Mohmmad Reza Shah captured, jailed, and executed Dr. Fatemi.

Patched Pants by Rasoul Parvizi

Next, I liked what I learned from Rasoul Parvizi's life. Many years ago, I read one of his comedic short stories from his book, Patched Pants, so it was enjoyable to learn more about him in this book. He was a well-known talented leftist writer. Then over the years he stopped writing and got closer to the regime and the people in power. He eventually became Senator. His biography is like a literary protagonist’s journey from hero to villain. This shift of dissolving into the regime and contradicting whatever they used to stand for is a recurring life theme for many of the people in the book, from Ali Dashti to Manouchehr Eghbal, the Prime Minister of Iran from 1957 to 1960.

Last words

One volume of Semi-Memoir allows the reader to dive into many biographies and life stories that inspire and alarm. Inspiration comes from the success stories. Alarm comes from the dreadful destiny of most of the figures of the book. This book shows that fame and success come but at a price. For many of the characters, this false success quickly changed. The pursuit of power ended up in self-imposed exile, like the Shah himself, or dying and being forgotten forever.