Teheran, een zwanezang
Encyclopedia
Teheran, een zwanezang is a novel by Dutch
author F. Springer
, published in 1991. It is a love story
set against the background of the Iranian Revolution
.
pulp biographies
, accepts an invitation by the Iranian government to write about Reza Shah
, the father of the reigning king of Iran, Mohammad
. His hosts make sure that he will want for nothing: a nice hotel
, a good office, and a capable secretary. Although Harrison hears stories about violence, he is able to work and swiftly finishes his first chapter ("Gustav Mahler
in Tabriz
"). He meets several people, including a young Iranian who informs him that he can easily arrange a meeting with one of the stewardesses in his hotel (Harrison declines), and several businessmen and journalist
s, who generally have a low opinion of the Iranians.
Slowly, Harrison starts to believe he understands the country, where rogues and pranksters appear to be successful. This image is based on his own experiences - who could have imagined that a pulp author would be treated like a king? - and the book he is reading, Morier
's funny The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Esfahan.
However, he slowly awakens from his delusions, partly because he falls in love with his secretary, Miss Jahanbari, and partly because the Dutch consul
, Bill Turfjager, asks him to become his personal assistant. Writing becomes more difficult, although the Shah is personally interested in this project, which must glorify the Pahlavi dynasty
.
The situation slowly worsens, although Harrison is capable of ignoring what is going on, even after he's hit by a stone, even after the people at his office no longer turn up, even after he meets the father of Miss Jahanbari, who has had some awful experiences. He starts to live with Turfjager, who has already sent his wife back to the Netherlands and is by now preparing for the evacuation of the Dutch community. There are several accounts of turncoats and other opportunists, confirming Harrison's idea that being a scoundrel is a road to success in Iran.
When the revolution finally gets momentum, Harrison is for the second time invited to the palace
, where he meets the king - who is alone, abandoned by all his attendants. Realizing he has to leave Iran, Harrison arranges a ticket for Miss Jahanbari, and arrives at a very chaotic Mehrabad Airport. Just at the moment when he decides that it is impossible to return home, the young Iranian who has offered him the sexual services of the stewardesses turns up. He is now a revolutionary, and praises Mister Harrison, who has shown him the road to better moral conduct. He arranges Harrison's flight to Europe
.
Here, Harrison learns that Jahanbari will be in the next plane. With a bunch of rose
s, he is ready to receive her, but the passenger named Jahanbari turns out to be the father of the woman he loves, who had not known of the affair and is shocked to see the flowers. The book about Reza Shah is never finished, and Toby Harrison is unable to write another book. Tehran had been the pulp writer's swan song.
s. Until the last pages, the reader is essentially reading a picaresque novel
, which leaves him unprepared for the final scenes, a grim "Postscript" in which it becomes very clear that revolution has little to do with rogues and pranksters. A very brief account of the killing of former prime minister Hoveyda
is one of the most shocking scenes in this part of the novel.
Because Springer was one of the Dutch diplomats in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution, it has been interpreted as a fictionalized eyewitness account.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
author F. Springer
F. Springer
F. Springer was the pseudonym of Carel Jan Schneider, a Dutch foreign service diplomat and writer.Schneider was born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies...
, published in 1991. It is a love story
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
set against the background of the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
.
Summary
Toby Harrison, a Dutch writer of EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
pulp biographies
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
, accepts an invitation by the Iranian government to write about Reza Shah
Reza Shah
Rezā Shāh, also known as Rezā Shāh Pahlavi and Rezā Shāh Kabir , , was the Shah of the Imperial State of Iran from December 15, 1925, until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on September 16, 1941.In 1925, Reza Shah overthrew Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last Shah of the Qajar...
, the father of the reigning king of Iran, Mohammad
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...
. His hosts make sure that he will want for nothing: a nice hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, a good office, and a capable secretary. Although Harrison hears stories about violence, he is able to work and swiftly finishes his first chapter ("Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
in Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
"). He meets several people, including a young Iranian who informs him that he can easily arrange a meeting with one of the stewardesses in his hotel (Harrison declines), and several businessmen and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s, who generally have a low opinion of the Iranians.
Slowly, Harrison starts to believe he understands the country, where rogues and pranksters appear to be successful. This image is based on his own experiences - who could have imagined that a pulp author would be treated like a king? - and the book he is reading, Morier
James Justinian Morier
James Justinian Morier was a British diplomat and author noted for his novels about Qajar dynasty Iran, most famously for the Hajji Baba series.-Early life:...
's funny The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Esfahan.
However, he slowly awakens from his delusions, partly because he falls in love with his secretary, Miss Jahanbari, and partly because the Dutch consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
, Bill Turfjager, asks him to become his personal assistant. Writing becomes more difficult, although the Shah is personally interested in this project, which must glorify the Pahlavi dynasty
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty consisted of two Iranian/Persian monarchs, father and son Reza Shah Pahlavi (reg. 1925–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi The Pahlavi dynasty ...
.
The situation slowly worsens, although Harrison is capable of ignoring what is going on, even after he's hit by a stone, even after the people at his office no longer turn up, even after he meets the father of Miss Jahanbari, who has had some awful experiences. He starts to live with Turfjager, who has already sent his wife back to the Netherlands and is by now preparing for the evacuation of the Dutch community. There are several accounts of turncoats and other opportunists, confirming Harrison's idea that being a scoundrel is a road to success in Iran.
When the revolution finally gets momentum, Harrison is for the second time invited to the palace
Niavaran Palace Complex
thumb|right|350px|The "Kushak" of Ahmad Shah, or [[Ahmad-Shahi Pavilion]] |PavilionNiavarān Palace Complex is a historical complex situated in the northern part of Tehran, Iran. It consists of several buildings and a museum. The Sahebqraniyeh Palace, from the time of Naser al-Din Shah of Qajar...
, where he meets the king - who is alone, abandoned by all his attendants. Realizing he has to leave Iran, Harrison arranges a ticket for Miss Jahanbari, and arrives at a very chaotic Mehrabad Airport. Just at the moment when he decides that it is impossible to return home, the young Iranian who has offered him the sexual services of the stewardesses turns up. He is now a revolutionary, and praises Mister Harrison, who has shown him the road to better moral conduct. He arranges Harrison's flight to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Here, Harrison learns that Jahanbari will be in the next plane. With a bunch of rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s, he is ready to receive her, but the passenger named Jahanbari turns out to be the father of the woman he loves, who had not known of the affair and is shocked to see the flowers. The book about Reza Shah is never finished, and Toby Harrison is unable to write another book. Tehran had been the pulp writer's swan song.
Style
Springer tells a very light-hearted, mildly ironical story with entertaining dialogueDialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
s. Until the last pages, the reader is essentially reading a picaresque novel
Picaresque novel
The picaresque novel is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society...
, which leaves him unprepared for the final scenes, a grim "Postscript" in which it becomes very clear that revolution has little to do with rogues and pranksters. A very brief account of the killing of former prime minister Hoveyda
Hoveyda
Hoveyda can refer to :*Amir-Abbas Hoveida , Prime Minister of the imperial government of Iran 1965-1977.*Amir H. Hoveyda is professor of chemistry at Boston College at the US, and currently holds the position of department chair....
is one of the most shocking scenes in this part of the novel.
Critical reception
Springer had received several literary prizes in the years before he published Teheran, een zwanezang, and although the novel received much praise and was quickly reprinted, it received no awards. Still, it is considered to be one of Springer's best novels. After the first edition, the novel has been reprinted six times (as of 2006); the eighth edition is part of Springer's collected works.Because Springer was one of the Dutch diplomats in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution, it has been interpreted as a fictionalized eyewitness account.
Literature
- Arjen Fortuin, "In de ban van de revolutie. Fictie bij de feiten", in: NRC HandelsbladNRC HandelsbladNRC Handelsblad, often abbreviated to NRC, is a daily evening newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. The newspaper was created on October 1, 1970, from merger of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and Algemeen Handelsblad . In 2006 a morning newspaper, nrc•next, was launched...
, June 20, 2009.