Synopsis

Iran, 1980: the revolutionaries have seized power. In a deserted Tehran hotel, Ryszard Kapuściński attempts—using notes, tapes, photos, and other materials he has accumulated since arriving in the country—to understand the cause of the Shah’s downfall. The author pieces together the puzzle and, by dissecting the process of this revolution, reveals the forces that sustain power and those that undermine it; he offers a portrait of the psychological state of a revolutionary country. And, using the Iranian example, he provides a lucid, vivid, and penetrating reflection on the mechanisms of history and power.

Author: Ryszard Kapuscinski
Title: The Shah
Country: Poland
Dates: September 8 and 15
Teacher: Inés Saenz