Simorgh: Portraits on My Mind is one of Abbas Milani’s most self-reflective and engaging books, named after the fabulous bird in Iranian mythology and poetry that personifies the quest for knowledge, solace, and self-discovery. The rise of the Islamic regime in Iran following the revolution of 1979 marked an era of cataclysmic change, accompanied by myriad conspiracy theories about its origins. The portraits presented in Simorgh, each a cross between a brief essay and a short story, explore the lives and loves, youthful illusions and utopian dreams, the harrowing experiences of prison and exile, and the diasporic accomplishments and exilic traumas of individuals who either actively or inadvertently paved the way for the revolution – or whose lives were crushed by the nightmarish reality of contemporary Iran.

The subjects of these portraits, all contemporaries of Milani, include some of Iran’s most renowned writers, politicians, scholars, and activists, alongside friends and family members who act as a poignant chorus to the unfolding saga. Abbas Milani, who lived and worked in Iran until 1987 and was deeply embedded in the crosscurrents of these lives, and an intimate perspective on their stories. Together, these portraits weave a cohesive narrative, creating a cumulative effect that is both profound and compelling.

Abbas Milani has served as the founding director of the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University since 2005. His extensive body of work includes The Persian Sphinx: Amir-Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Revolution and The Shah. He is currently working on a book about Reza Shah. Simorgh, originally written and published in two volumes in Persian has been masterfully translated into English by Mahasti Afshar. Engaging and insightful, Simorgh is Milani at his best and will enthrall both those new to his work and those already familiar with it.