IN THIS highly topical account of present day Iran, Christopher de Bellaigue provides an insight into a proud and misunderstood nation.
Married to an Iranian and having lived there for a number of years, de Bellaigue is able to access currents of national feeling which might have remained obscure to a more 'western' observer. Through his interpretation of the country's past - from Persia's imperial splendours to today's austere Islamic orthodoxy - and the memories and stories of the people he speaks to, de Bellaigue attempts to convey the complicated history of this enigmatic country and its effect on the present day.
He does go some way to achieving this although the narrative is sometimes difficult to follow and occasionally jumps from century to century in a confusing manner.
Nevertheless, this is still a superb attempt to explain present-day Iran through an exploration into its past.
De Bellaigue's experiences provide a vivid guide to the Middle East and Islamic fundamentalism.
In the Rose Garden of Martyrs by Christopher de Bellaigue is published by Harper Collins, priced £20.
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