Author Description

"Ezzat Shahi's Memoirs offer an exceptionally deep insight into one of the most important events of the twentieth century Iran, namely, Iran's Islamic Revolution, 1978-1979. The book is not a scholarly account of the Iranian revolution, nor did it intend to be one. Its uniqueness is in the fact that it was written by an ordinary man with little formal education who participated in the three decades of political activities against the Pahlavi regime. He had his own ideals and aspirations perhaps shared by many activists of similar social background. He made and broke alliances with numerous political groups, but remained steadfast in what he thought was the true ideals of revolutionary activities. The book is unique contribution to contemporary history of Iran. Ezzat Shahi was born in 1946 in Khomsar, a small city located 150 Km northwest of the city of Isfahan. He started working at a young age at Tehran bazaar where he was introduced to religious-political groups. He started political activity in 1963 when he was only 17 years old. From that date until his arrest Ezzat collaborated with many opposition groups yet maintained his own independence. He managed to escape arrest many times. Finally, in February 1973 he was arrested by SAVAK and remained in prison where he was frequently tortured severely. He was released shortly before revolution. After a short period of collaboration with the revolutionary government, he decided to return to private life. He has been living in Tehran since 1979"--Unedited summary from book cover.