On 22 October, Hooman Majd, author of the most widely-read books on contemporary Iran, was a guest at Collegium Civitas.  The meeting was hosted by  prof. Krzysztof Maria Byrski .

We owe the visit of this outstanding expert on Iran to the publisher Karakter, which has already released the following three of his books in Polish: The Ayatollah Begs to Differ; The Ayatollahs’ Democracy; and The Ministry of Guidance Invites You to Not Stay: An American Family in Iran. After the meeting, there was a unique opportunity to have a photo taken with the author and to get a signed copy of one of his books.

The Iranian-American writer and journalist commented on Iran’s most recent history. In his opinion Iran’s relations with the Western world are more complex than what is commonly believed, and therefore this requires a balanced factual analysis. A dual Western and Near Eastern perspective sets Majd apart from numerous other journalists and reporters who try to analyse the Iranian reality. As an Iranian, he is able to reach places which are inaccessible to tourists and Western reporters. As a man educated in the West, he knows how to describe his country in order to make it more comprehensible to outsiders. He does this not only with passion, but also with a sense of detachment and a good dose of humour.

Born in Tehran, Hooman Majd is the son of a diplomat of the former Shah government as well as being the grandson of one of the Iranian ayatollahs. He has spent most of his life abroad both in the United Kingdom and the United States, where he graduated from university. For many years he worked in the music industry in Los Angeles, always remaining in constant contact with his homeland and visiting Iran regularly. In 2009 he worked as a translator for President Ahmadinejad at the UN and also as a translator and adviser to President Khatami. After the Iranian revolution in 1979, he settled permanently in New York. He writes articles for some of the most important American newspapers including The New York Times, The New Yorker and Newsweek.

Professor and former ambassador, Maria Krzysztof Byrski, is an indologist and professor at Warsaw University. He was director of the Oriental Institute and member of Warsaw University’s governing body. In the years 1993-1996, Byrski was Polish Ambassador in the Republic of India, having previously worked as an advisor there from 1990 to 1992. A 1960 graduate in Indology at the University of Warsaw, he received a doctorate from Banaras Hindu University in 1966, and habilitated at Warsaw University in 1978. Byrski is cofounder of the university branch of NSZZ „Solidarność” [Solidarity trade union] at Warsaw University and is a member of the Committee for Culture Studies at PAN [Polish Academy of Sciences]. He is the author of over one hundred different publications in Polish, English and Hindi, including Concept of Ancient Indian Theatre (New Delhi 1973) and Methodology of the Analysis of Sanskrit Drama (Delhi 1997) as well as translations from Sanskrit in Manusmryti i Kamasutra (Warsaw 1985). His hobbies include interior design and DIY.