The Thousand Families

Ali Shabani (1927–2002) was educated in Persian literature at Tehran University and had a Diploma of Journalism from the University of Maryland. He was court journalist and chief editor of various journals, and he published numerous articles, mostly satirical critiques. In addition to Hezar Famil (The Thousand Families), he wrote Bohran (Crisis) and Tarrah-e Kudeta (The Plotter of the Coup d'État). Patricia J. Higgins (Ph.D. in anthropology, University of California, Berkeley) is Emeritus Distinguished Service Professor of Anthropology at SUNY, Plattsburgh. She has conducted ethnographic research in Iran and among Iranians in the United States. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and as chapters in edited volumes. Pouneh Shabani-Jadidi (Ph.D. in linguistics, University of Ottawa) is Senior Lecturer of Persian Language and Linguistics at McGill University. Her publications include Processing Compound Verbs in Persian and The Oxford Handbook of Persian Linguistics, several book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed journals. She is the daughter of Ali Shabani.

Translators’ Introduction – Glossary – Preface to the Second Edition [Including a Letter from Shams Āl-e Ahmad] – Preface to the First Edition – The Era of Khans – The Age of Princes – The Arrival of the Court Bureaucrats – The Presence of the Statesmen – Parliamentary Government – Appendix A: Wives of Fath ʿAli Shāh – Appendix B: Sons of Fath ʿAli Shāh – Appendix C: Daughters of Fath ʿAli Shāh – Name Index – Subject Index.

“This book is a translation of a unique historiography of the Qajar court and its people based on personal diaries, private collections and oral histories. With his deep knowledge of social events and political issues of Qajar era Iran, the author opens new windows onto the social history of modern Iran. Indeed, this translation of such an important book from Persian (Farsi) to English will help scholars have access to such original research and will also help public audiences become familiar with this fascinating period of Iranian history.”—Pedram Khosrow, School of International Studies, Oklahoma University