Death to the Dictator! Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize

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Britain’s most prestigious prize for political writing, The Orwell Prize, has just announced their 2011 shortlists. Their Book Prize shortlist includes Afsaneh Moqadam's intimate and chilling account of the 2009 Iranian election, DEATH TO THE DICTATOR!. Moqadam, a pseudonymous author, was a keen eyewitness in Tehran during the summer of 2009 and beyond. It is a brave and true book in which we see what we are not supposed to see, and learn what we are not supposed to know.

“[A] timely, ambitious and moving account [...] The power and immediacy of DEATH TO THE DICTATOR!, the modern sequel to Ryszard Kapuscinski’s SHAH OF SHAHS, come from these crucial moments when Iranians decide whether to abandon hope or ultimately risk their lives [...] Moqadam writes with an authoritative, granular understanding of Iranian society, especially the sociology of its urban youth. The author distills important political context and frictions of class, faith and worldview into lean vignettes.” --The New York Times Book Review

See all the 2011 Orwell Prize shortlists here.