PEN/West Award Finalist Told with energy, perception and great charm. . . . For anyone who wants to . . . gain insight into the great cultural and political richness of Iran, past, present and future, this book is a marvelous introduction.Fred Halliday, Los Angeles TimesIran was the first country in the Middle East to develop an oil industry, and oil has been central to its tumultuous twentiethcentury history. A finalist for the PEN/West Award, Blood and Oil tells the epic inside story of the battle for Iranian oil. A prominent member of one of Irans most powerful aristocratic familiesso feared by Khomeini that the entire clan was blacklistedPrince Manucher Farmanfarmaian was raised in a harem at the heart of Irans imperial court. With wit and provocative detail, he describes the days when he served as the Shahs oil adviser and pioneered the partnership that resulted in OPEC. Beautifully written and epic in its scope, this scintillating memoir provides a fascinating history of modern Iran. Distinguished by its political acumen, historical sense, and vividness of description and anecdote. It is also notable for a wry sense of humour. . . . Amid the euphoria about the development of the oilfields of Central Asia and the Transcaucasus, [its] lesson should be kept in mind.Anatol Lieven, Financial TimesA book of stunning beauty . . . One of the best accounts of the cultural and political life of modern Iran, it is exquisite and intimate, rendered with artistry and detail. Fouad Ajami