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“The Ayatollah Begs to Differ”, by Hooman Majd(“Worth a read?” is not your ordinary book review; it is a meta-review. In other words, it provides an overview of the opinions contained in a variety of book reviews published in the media at large.)
“The Ayatollah Begs to Differ”, written by Hooman Majd, was released in South Africa in January 2010. The past years have seen a tremendous increase in the number of books published on Iran as the West struggles to come to grips with a country seemingly so different and contradictory.
Hooman Majd is in many ways 100% nian and 100 per cent American, and his book “The Ayatollah Begs to Differ” provides an insider’s account of an Iran that few people get the opportunity to see.
With warmth and humour, Majd’s description of Iranian politics and culture reveals a country that is fiercely proud of its Persian heritage, and adamant about protecting its privacy and rights.
With stories of Opium-smoking clerics, female cab drivers, presidential officials, T-shirt-wearing teenagers, religious martyrs and fashionistas, Majd describes the paradoxes inherent in the Iranian character.
Iran is religious yet cosmopolitan; it is authoritarian yet reformist. And the Persian concept of "ta’arouf" – a self-deprecation contest to see who can best subordinate himself – is still very much part of Iranian social interactions.
Who is the author?
Majd was born in Tehran, but was educated in the West, and he is now an American citizen living in New York City.
He is the son of an Iranian diplomat and the grandson of an Ayatollah, and he served as a translator and unofficial adviser to both the current Iranian president and his predecessor.
Majd worked in the film and music industry before devoting himself to writing and journalism full time, and he has written for the likes of “GQ”, “Newsweek”, “The New York Times”, “The New Yorker”, “The New Republic” and “The Financial Times”.
What do others say?
“The Ayatollah Begs to Differ” is said to be a critical but affectionate view of past and present Iran. With wit and a dry sense of humour, Majd combines the best of journalism, travelogue, cultural reflection and memoir in what some reviewers describe as an excellent snapshot of the country as a whole and one of the best books currently available on Iran.
“Publishers Weekly”: "The author’s brisk, conversational prose is appealing; his book reads as if he is chatting with a smart friend, while strolling around Tehran, engaged in ta’arouf… Although Majd seems to gloss too quickly over realities that don’t engage his interest – women’s voices are only intermittently included – this failing scarcely mars this remarkable ride through what is often uncharted territory."
“Los Angeles Times”: "Majd’s dual background, not to mention his unprecedented access over the last decade to two of Iran’s most prominent politicians, provides him with a deeply informed perspective on the religion, politics and culture of Iran. Part memoir, part travelogue, part cultural criticism, 'The Ayatollah Begs to Differ' captures like no book in recent memory the ethos of the country, in elegant and precise prose.
How do I get hold of it?
“The Ayatollah Begs to Differ” is published in South Africa by Penguin Books. It is available at Exclusive Books at a price of approximately R220.00.
