Blood and Oil

Title: Blood and Oil – A Prince’s Memoir of Iran, From the Shah to the Ayatollah

Editor: Manucher Farmanfarmaian, Roxane Farmanfarmaian

Publisher: Random House New York 2005 (First published: 1997)

ISBN: 0-8129-7508-1

Pages: 482

Born as a prince of the ousted Qajar dynasty in Iran, Manucher Farmanfarmaian rose to hold prominent positions in the Iranian administrative system by dint of hard work, western education and most importantly, connections to people who wielded real power in Shah’s Iran. He was born to Prince Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma in 1917. The Shah, during the Pahlavi dynasty took a dim view of the Farmanfarmaians who controlled enormous power, owing to the numerous siblings holding vast amounts of land, business, administrative and foreign service positions. The author studied in Paris and Birmingham, obtaining degrees in Petroleum engineering. He rose to become the director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which was nationalized during the 50s. He became Iran’s ambassador to Venezuela in 1972 and returned to Iran just before the 1979 Islamic revolution. Hunted by Khomeini’s revolutionary guards, he fled the country and settled in Venezuela to lead a peaceful, retired life till his death.

The book presents a vivid picture of Iran and its transformation from an underdeveloped country in the early 20^th century to an oil rich state by its end. The British monopolized Iranian oil in the form of a concession ceded from them in the form of the APOC (Anglo-Persian Oil Company), which later metamorphosed to British Petroleum. Political pressure from opposition forces resulted in the nationalization of the company and Iranians took control of it. The author claims that he had a deciding role in the formation of OPEC, the organization of oil-exporting countries in 1961. Iran, being an underdeveloped country, with a monarchy which has lost all touch with people was controlled by aristocratic families who owed allegiance to the Shah through matrimonial relationships, further cemented by ostentatious social gatherings to remain the lime light. Dissidence simmered among the public, which went unnoticed even by western intelligence agencies. When Ayatollah Khomeini returned from Paris to assume control of the state left by the Shah, things changed rapidly for the worse for these aristocrats, who had to eat the dust. One by one, they were hunted out and subjected to swift punishment, often without a decent trial.

The book is an interesting read which brings out various facets of Iranian civil society as it existed under the monarchs. The stark contrast between the haves and have-nots are evident between the lines, though the author is not unduly sympathetic to the socialist cause. When the Shah decided to effect a redistribution of land by appropriating it from the aristocrats, he opposed it on the flimsy ground that the gift positioned the new owners in an disadvantageous position, as they now had to care for the land and the means of cultivation which was until then taken care of by the lords. All top jobs were distributed among the relatives and friends of those in power. Whenever the author was in need of a job, all he needed to do was visit some of his cousins or brothers handling an important government portfolio and ask them to position him in a suitable chair already identified by him!

The book is easy to read and the story line very captivatingly arranged. As his notes were lost in the uprisings, he claims to have narrated all details from memory. The style is commendable, which was really put in place by his daughter and co-author Roxane. Hafez’s verses adorn the beginning of each chapter.

On the other side, the book is unduly long which need to be abridged. Arranged in smaller print, the book is not so easy to read. At the end of the day, the reader is not without some reservation against the author’s point of view which seemed to be skewed.

The book is recommended.

Rating: 2 Star