Public lecture by Christopher de Bellaigue, organised by The Iran Society (please visit http://www.iransociety.org/index.htm).

‘Something extraordinary was happening. A centralised, modern government of men with French PHDs was being challenged by gangs of cutthroats while the army and police looked on.’ The day was August 19, 1953 – when Muhammad Mossadegh, Iran’s nationalist prime minister, succumbed to an Anglo-American coup in favour of the Shah. How did it happen? What combination of forces worked against the septuagenarian prime minister as his dream of a truly independent Iran collapsed around him? Now, to celebrate the publication of Christopher de Bellaigue’s new book, Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a very British coup, the author presents a thrilling account of this crucial event in the history of relations between the Middle East and the West. ‘Everyone with a radio tuned in... When would Mossadegh call his supporters onto the streets to sweep the trash away?’

Date: Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Time: 7.00pm
Venue:  The Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7
(A licensed bar will be open from 6.00pm).

Entry to ticket holders only. Tickets £10, unsold tickets will be available at the door. To apply for a ticket please get in contact with The Iran Society: http://www.iransociety.org/events.htm

The speaker:
Christopher de Bellaigue is one of our leading experts on modern Iran. His previous books have been shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize and the Orwell Prize.