In 1979, the Shah of Iran’s tyrannical reign was brought to a bloody end when revolution transferred power to Ayatollah Khomeini and the country became an Islamic Republic. Throughout the final weeks of violent transition, Polish journalist and author Ryszard Kapuściński covered the story. A veteran of revolutionary reporting, and with first-hand experience of life under a despotic regime, he was uniquely placed to unravel the complexities of Iranian politics for a Western readership. As the city emptied of tourists and correspondents, Kapuściński was the last guest in his Tehran hotel, and he began to gather the information he needed to write Shahs of Shahs.

Following his father’s forced abdication by the Allies in 1941, the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in Iran signified a moment of hope for a new era, free from persecution. However, despite the Shah’s bullish move towards Westernisation and social reform, the self-styled father of the nation enjoyed the riches of the country’s oil wealth and lived like a Western billionaire while the majority of the Iranian people lived in poverty. SAVAK secret police infiltrated everyday life, and those arrested were tortured first and questioned later. No one was above suspicion: friends, neighbours and even family members were all treated as potential informers. With tensions running high, traditionalists increasingly demanded a return to Islamic rule, and this religious fervour combined with anti-Western sentiment to create the perfect revolutionary storm.