The first real biography of Mohammad Réza Pahlavi , the last shah of Iran.
 "Let us leave it to history to judge Mohammad Réza Pahlavi as a ruler," President Sadat said during his friend's funeral in Egypt. The last Shah of Iran (1919-1980) is indeed one of the most controversial monarchs of the twentieth century. Bitterly defended by some, described as dictator by others, this reserved man who succeeded his father in the midst of World War II modernized his country by forced march, alienating the supporters of tradition and foreign powers until what the Islamic revolution of 1979 caused his downfall and forced him into exile. 
 With their knowledge of events and actors, Houchang Nahavandi and Yves Bomati deliver a bright and dispassionate portrait of this emperor with an extraordinary destiny.