Inside Iran: Life Under Khomeini's Regime

by John Cody Fidler-Simpson

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Anecdotal and impressionistic rather than analytical, this book effectively explores the complexities of a country that has "receded into the impenetrability of its sixteenth century self." BBC journalist Simpson presents the Islamic revolution from the viewpoint of Iranian citizens; with a light touch, and with sympathy, he balances the self-righteous attitude of Iranian officials with the daily survival techniques developed by the people. He also delves into the U.S. embassy takeover, the cake-bringing visit of Robert MacFarlane and Oliver North, the Iran-Iraq war (Simpson visited the battlefront), the routine use of torture in detention centers and the phenomenon of the Basiji or volunteers for martyrdom. Simpson's frequent companion in the field was his colleague Tira Shubart, and her commentaries here, especially in regard to the women of Iran, add a special dimension. Photos.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Veteran BBC correspondent Simpson spent months in Iran in 1979, documenting Khomeini's return after exile, and in 1986-87, covering the Iran-Iraq war. A graphic storyteller whose eye and pen readily transport readers to the battlefronts, cities, and farms of the Islamic republic, Simpson has produced a wonderful traveler's account of the Iranian people. His rendering of everyday life is facilitated by his avoiding political or diplomatic analysis. Far superior in objectivity and scope to Betty Mahmoody's Not Without My Daughter (with William Hoffer, LJ 11/1/87). Recommended for most large collections in this area. David P. Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

John Cody Fidler-Simpson CBE is an English foreign correspondent. He is world affairs editor of BBC News, the world's biggest broadcast news service. One of the most travelled reporters ever, he has spent all his working life at the corporation. He has reported from more than 120 countries, including thirty war zones, and has interviewed numerous world leaders.

Simpson was born in Cleveleys, Lancashire; his family later moved to Dunwich, Suffolk. His great grandfather was Samuel Franklin Cowdery (later known as Samuel Franklin Cody), an American showman in the style of Buffalo Bill Cody, who became a British citizen and was an early pioneer of manned flight in the UK. Simpson reveals in his autobiography that his father was an anarchist. That didn't prevent him from getting a top-notch education: he was sent to Dulwich College Preparatory School and St Paul's, and read English at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was editor of Granta magazine. In 1965 he was a member of the Magdalene University Challenge team. A year later Simpson started as a trainee sub-editor at BBC radio news.

Simpson became a BBC reporter in 1970. He describes in his autobiography how on his very first day the then prime minister Harold Wilson, angered by the sudden and impudent, as he saw it, appearance of the novice's microphone, punched him in the stomach.

Simpson was the BBC's political editor from 1980 till 1981. He presented the Nine O'Clock News from 1981 till 1982 and became diplomatic editor in 1982. He had also served as a correspondent in South Africa, Brussels and Dublin. He became BBC world affairs editor in 1988.