"Iran's cinematic evolution, before and after the revolution of 1979, is as rich as any country's; however, despite boasting numerous film awards and international critical acclaim, the country's output remains relatively unknown—even to cineastes. "What is Iranian cinema?" is as logical a question as "Why is it underexposed?" This book by Dabashi (Iranian studies & comparative literature, Columbia Univ.) takes the form of a letter to a young filmmaker but eschews the colloquial for a scholarly approach. He chronologically highlights directors, discussing a key work in each person's oeuvre and its place in Iranian and world cinema. Dabashi also explores the development of Iranian cinema objectively and subjectively via the people who created it, without the need for restrictive answers. He considers Iranian cinema representative of a living world cinema and will let "the bored historians of the future worry about its dead certainties." Given its academic approach, Dabashi's book is highly recommended for universities, large public libraries, and those with extensive focuses in film or cultural history."

--Library Journal

Masters & Masterpieces of Iranian Cinema offers a remarkable overview of Iranian cinema and the directors who have transformed the shape of Iranian culture in modern history. With his superb authority on the social and political history of the region, Dabashi provides a tour de force of the artistic developments in Iran over the past half a century and thus beautifully lays out the alluring dynamic between Iranian art and politics. Perhaps the most significant accomplishment of this marvelous book is Dabashi’s refusal to limit the importance of Iranian cinema to its regional domain, as he consistently cultivates its global prominence.”
—Shirin Neshat, film & video artist,
director of Women without Men

“For over a decade Hamid Dabashi’s revelations have been as instrumental in the fashioning of my own cinema as Naderi, Kiarostami, Bresson, or Rossellini. Dabashi brilliantly weaves together Iranian cinema, literature, history, philosophy, and politics in a national and global setting, and lovingly and masterfully guides his readers to cultural and aesthetic insights. If Iranian cinema brought the world a “poetic” vision of modern Iran, Dabashi has done no less in this piercing analysis.”
—Ramin Bahrani, filmmaker,
director of Man Push Cart

Praise for
Hamid Dabashi’s previous books

“Learned…sparkles with verve and a sometimes punishing wit.… Encyclopedic in its scope, informal in tone, shrewd in its interpretation, indispensable…Dabashi is the perfect guide.”
—Edward W. Said

“The grand clash of civilizations and ideologies will increasingly take place within the west, with such writers and intellectuals as Dabashi”.
—Pankaj Mishra, The Guardian

“Lively and well written…. Objective and empathetic…unlike many others on contemporary Iran”.
—Ervand Abrahamian,
International Journal of Middle East Studies