"Shah of Shahs" depicts the final years of the Shah in Iran, and is a compelling meditation on the nature of revolution and the devastating results of fear. Here, Kapuscinski describes the tyrannical monarch, who, despite his cruel oppression of the Iranian people, sees himself as the father of a nation, who can turn a backward country into a great power - a vain hope that prov...
"Shah of Shahs" depicts the final years of the Shah in Iran, and is a compelling meditation on the nature of revolution and the devastating results of fear. Here, Kapuscinski describes the tyrannical monarch, who, despite his cruel oppression of the Iranian people, sees himself as the father of a nation, who can turn a backward country into a great power - a vain hope that proves a complete failure. Yet, even as Iran becomes a behemoth of riches' and as the Shah lives like a European billionaire, its people live in a climate of fear, terrorized by the secret police. Told with intense power and feeling, Kapuscinski portrays the inevitable build-up to revolution - a cataclysmic upheaval that delivered Iran into the rule of the Ayatollah Khomeini.
“A dictatorship that destroys the intelligentsia and culture leaves behind itself an empty, sour field on which the tree of thought won't grow quickly. It is not always the best people who emerge from hiding, from the corners and cracks of that farmed-out field, but often those who have proven themselves strongest, not always those who will create new values but rather those whose thick skin and internal resilience have ensured their survival. In such circumstances history begins to turn in a tragic, vicious circle from which it can sometimes take a whole epoch to break free.” (查看原文)
![[波兰] 雷沙德·卡普钦斯基](https://img1.doubanio.com/view/personage/m/public/c8a75e8ff554e558fff47636475adf30.jpg)
雷沙德·卡普钦斯基 作者
2 有用 不伺机 2014-02-22 05:41:24
卡普钦斯基首先是一个诗人，其次才是记者和更广义的作家。这本书和他其它类似著作一样，寓言性质强过纪实
1 有用 失望的奥利瓦🌈 2024-11-12 11:48:27 新加坡
沙王被石油美元的收入迷得头晕目眩，开启了一场声势浩大的现代化运动，迫不及待计算起赶英超美的时日，期望复兴古老的伊朗文明。然而石油产业的特殊性注定催生腐败，而雇佣外国专家多快好省，也不用去培养本国民众的人力资本。并未享受现代化恩惠的人民怨恨起沙王左右的石油精英。大学里世俗知识分子的思想自由又被百般钳制，传统的什叶派毛拉成为民间反对势力的天然领袖。自上而下的不均衡、不公正的现代性企划，遭到自下而上的狂... 沙王被石油美元的收入迷得头晕目眩，开启了一场声势浩大的现代化运动，迫不及待计算起赶英超美的时日，期望复兴古老的伊朗文明。然而石油产业的特殊性注定催生腐败，而雇佣外国专家多快好省，也不用去培养本国民众的人力资本。并未享受现代化恩惠的人民怨恨起沙王左右的石油精英。大学里世俗知识分子的思想自由又被百般钳制，传统的什叶派毛拉成为民间反对势力的天然领袖。自上而下的不均衡、不公正的现代性企划，遭到自下而上的狂热、保守的民粹革命的报复，在世界历史上早已不是新奇的剧情。一边以悠久的文明自傲，另一边传统的纠缠却阴魂不散，在现代化进程中左支右绌。这种感受，国内读者也会心有戚戚吧？P.S.读时好奇，卡普钦斯基写作此书，是否也在借伊朗之酒杯浇波兰之块垒？一查果然。 (展开)
0 有用 mai 2022-04-27 11:56:25
Like looking into a mirror
0 有用 弯弯要巡山 2014-01-16 18:26:25
Absolutely genius! A clear and poetic description of modern Iranian history.
0 有用 haihui 2026-02-05 17:26:54 上海
好的方式是多种多样的，而坏的方式如出一辙。 无论是在非洲还是在亚洲。