Author: Farah Pahlavi Publisher: Dar Al Shorouk Edition Date: 2013 Number of Pages: 401 When I remember that morning in January 1979, the same painful sadness returns to me with all its intensity. Tehran had been suffering from a fierce attack for months, but a tense silence now hung over the city as if the capital of our country had suddenly held its breath. On the sixteenth day of the month, and we are about to leave our country..... Her story begins like the beginnings of fairy tales. At the age of twenty-one, "Farah Diba, Shahbanu of Iran" married "Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi." Within days, her quiet life turned upside down: the world's press covered her coronation ceremony as Empress of Iran, and overnight she became a globally famous figure. The first years of her marriage were marked by a love-based marriage, raising four children, and dedication to social and cultural causes, despite indications on the horizon of serious national divisions. After twenty years, the dream turned into a nightmare. Demonstrations and riots shook the country, and "Farah" and "the Shah" decided to leave to avoid bloodshed. The exiled Shah, suffering from a serious illness, never saw his homeland again. Together, they sought refuge in Morocco, the Bahamas, Mexico, and Panama. They disappeared from public view in a New York hospital where "the Shah" was receiving treatment, until the Egyptian President "Anwar Sadat" finally granted them asylum, only to be assassinated himself by fundamentalists eighteen months later. The story of the last years of "the Shah," one of the most moving and disturbing episodes of the late 20th century, as America's tense relationship with the Middle East began to reveal its flimsy foundations. For the first time, "Farah Diba" – the Shahbanu – the wife of the last emperor of Iran, breaks her silence and tells the poignant story of her love for a man and her country. "An Enduring Love" offers her intimate perspective on an era of turmoil, but most importantly, it remains a powerful human document of a life caught between the epic and tragic national struggle. "Memoirs of Farah Pahlavi" (published in English under the title An Enduring Love: My Life with the Shah). Written by Farah Diba Pahlavi, the wife of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and the last Empress (Shahbanu) of Iran. Main themes of the memoirs: Childhood and Legendary Marriage: The memoirs begin with an account of Farah Diba's childhood (from an ordinary Iranian family), her travel to study in Paris, her chance meeting with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and their marriage in 1959. She describes the early years of her life as Empress, her love for the Shah, and raising her four children. Cultural and Social Endeavors: Farah Pahlavi focuses on her role as Empress, especially in the fields of art, culture, education, and social welfare, and how she tried to modernize Iranian society and present a civilized image of the country. The Fall of the Throne (The Iranian Revolution): The book vividly details the events preceding and accompanying the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and the turmoil that shook the country. Exile and Human Tragedy: The most painful part of the memoirs depicts the long and agonizing journey of the royal family in exile after leaving Iran. She talks about the Shah's severe illness, their desperate search for refuge in various countries (Morocco, Bahamas, Mexico, Panama), until they finally settled in Egypt, hosted by its president Anwar Sadat, and the Shah's death there.