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Chapter Seven: Asghar
Asghar’s story is based on interviews with friends and family members of a couple of well-known jahels. All names of famous jahels are real, apart from Asghar’s, to protect the family’s identity. Pari’s story is based on the story of somebody I know, and on a showgirl married to a jahel.
Shapour the Bull-Slayer and Morteza Four Dicks caught with more than a kilo of heroin and opium: Tabnak news website, 27 July 2008. Number of drug addicts: Mehr news agency quoting Rasoul Khezri, a member of parliament’s health committee, 11 September 2013 and Fars news agency, quoting Mohammad Esmail Motlagh, Director-General of Health, Ministry of Health, 14 September 2013
Ayatollahs declared that betting on horses and shooting is not against Sharia law: Hamshari newspaper, 30 October 2012. Accounts of Zeynab the Blind and the African slaves working as spies and guards are from Jafar Shahri, Tehran-e Ghadeem (Old Tehran) (Moin, 2004), volume 1, pp. 28–9 and 97.
Chapter Eight: Farideh
Farideh is a composite character based on several women. Farideh’s son, Alidad, is also based on several people. Social events here are either as witnessed by myself, or as described to me. All other incidents, including the rape and suicide of Delara (not her real name) and the arrests of the artists and life models, are as told to me by witnesses or friends and acquaintances of those involved.
Details of General Rahimi’s execution are from Michael Axworthy,
Revolutionary Iran, A History of the Islamic Republic (Allen Lane, 2013) p.14.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To every Tehrani who shared their life story and secrets with me, I hope I have done you justice. It was a privilege to be allowed into your world. This book is as much yours as it is mine.
To everyone who helped me in Tehran: you went above and beyond to connect me to people and to show me all the hidden corners of our city. You are the brave ones, risking your freedom in pursuit of the truth in Tehran. In particular, Mr Smiley and Ms Kickass, it was an honour. A heartfelt thank you to Ali, Amir, Amirali, Arash, Arash, Asghar, B, Behnam, Hadi, Hiva, Majid, Minou, Mohammad, Mona, Mr G, Mr H, Mr M, Mr S, Mr T, Nahid, Saadi, Saeed, Saeed, Sara, Shadi, Sina, Sohayl, Vahid and Zahra.
To Monsieur K, thank you for your help – even when you were ill and tired! Outside Iran, thank you to all who gave their time, thoughts and information:
Arash, Dr Ghassem Khatib-Chahidi, Jane Khatib-Chahidi, Gissou Nia and team from the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, Farrokh Negahdar, Arsham Parsi from the Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees and your contact N, Hossein Rassam, Maryam Sinaiee and Reza Zia-Ebrahimi. A huge thank you to Aliasghar Ramezanpoor for your invaluable help and input.
I had the very good fortune of having a few brilliant readers. Thank you Roxanna Shapour for your sharp eye, loyalty and endless help. Thank you to Negin Shiraghaei for your excellent suggestions. A special thank you to my soul brother, Amir Paivar, for always being there.
To my fantastic, fearless and dogged researcher, Nikoo: damet garm jeegar talaa.
To the Tehran crew, thank you for your support, stories and making me laugh. You are always magnificent: Amirali N, AmirM, Arash, Aresu, Behnam, Bobs, Dr M, Kaveh, Mana, N, Nassim, S, T.
To my wonderful friends and family for cheering me on from the sidelines, for listening to my stories and for your advice, thank you: Steve Allen, Babak, James Brabazon, Jamsheed, Kate Brooks, Elisabetta Cavanna, Aaron Chetwynd, Anna Chetwynd, Libby Dempster, Miranda Eeles, Zoe Eisenstein, Tom Griffiths, Michael Ireland, Kambiz Karimi, Peyvand Khorsandi, Kathi
Kosmider, Hannah Lambert, Claire McFall, Angus McDowall, Deborah McTaggart, Ramin Navai, Rick O’Sullivan, Tom Parker, Sasha Pick, Graeme Robertson, Lavinia Range, Mehrdaad, Siobhan Sinnerton and Paola Victoria.
Thank you to my aunt Shahla Ireland and my uncles Hadi Samsami and Kazem Samsami for your memories and for recounting our family history.
Thank you to the brilliant illustrator who also happens to be my father-in-law, Robin Range, for the beautiful map of Tehran at the beginning of this book.
Thank you to those who I can no longer thank in person but who made my time in Iran that much easier: Richard Beeston, for being the most encouraging editor; Kasra Vafadari, for showing me so much.
Thank you to all at the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Awards, in particular Paula Johnson. The award enabled me to do so much more than I ever envisioned.
An enormous thank you to my phenomenal editor, Bea Hemming – it has been an honour to work with you, as well as such a joy.
To the best agent an author could wish for, Sophie Lambert at Conville and Walsh. You could not have been more supportive, encouraging and generous with your time, advice and notes. Thank you so much.
To the kindest and most compassionate people I know, thank you to my mother Laya and my father Kourosh. My gorgeous mother, it is because of your sense of justice (and your sense of mischief) that I do what I do. To my father – the father of all fathers! – living in Tehran with you was one of the best times of my life.
Finally, to my man, Gabriel Range, whose suggestions and ideas helped shape this book. Being with you makes me feel like the luckiest woman around. No words are good enough, but, I love you.
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