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Pivot of the Universe
- Nasir al-Din Shah and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831-1896
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 21 hrs and 6 mins
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Pivot of the Universe
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Summary
When he was assassinated in 1896, Nasir al-Din Shah had sat on the Peacock throne for nearly half a century. A colorful, complex figure, he is frequently portrayed as indolent and self-indulgent. Yet he was in many ways an effective ruler who displayed exceptional resilience in the face of dilemmas and vulnerabilities shared by most monarchs of the Islamic world in the 19th century.
In this book-the first in English about Nasir al-Din Shah, Abbas Amanat gives us both a biography of the man and an analysis of the institution of monarchy in modern Iran. Nasir al-Din Shah developed from an insecure crown prince and later an erratic boy-king in the 1840s and '50s into a ruler with substantial control over his government and foreign policy in the 1860s and beyond. Amanat examines this transformation and explores how traditional monarchies drew strength as they accommodated themselves to the forces of modernity.
Based on extensive archival research in both public and private collections, Pivot of the Universe offers a fresh interpretation of the evolution of monarchy in modern times as it interacted with the institutions of government, the society at large, and Western powers.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 12-03-22
very enlighting
very well researched throughout ... looking 4 ward 2 the next book from this author
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hamid
- 26-10-23
Amazing and informative book
This book is full of interesting facts and fresh insights. It has been very well researched and nicely delivered. What I particularly like about this book is that it succeeds in remaining relatively unbiased in delivering the material.
The narrator did an amazing job. I really enjoyed the book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Parissa
- 02-10-21
An interesting account of Iran’s most famous 19th century ruler
To be more precise, it is an account of the first half of Nasser-Din-Shah’s reign. This book will be particularly interesting to anyone with an interest in Persian history or an interest in the rivalry between Russia and Britain (The Great Game). I have given this book four stars instead of five as I found it a great shame that the most interesting part of Nasser-Din-Shah is arguably the latter part of his life, all of which was summarised in the last chapter. I would have preferred to hear more about this part of his rule.
A huge thumbs up to Derek Perkins for an excellent reading and very brave attempts at the pronounciation of Persian names. I don’t think anyone but a bi-lingual English/Farsi speaker could have done better.
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