Titan of Tehran

From Jewish Ghetto to Corporate Colossus to Firing Squad—My Grandfather's Life

By: Shahrzad Elghanayan

Narrated by: Ashraf Shirazi

The titan is Habib Elghanian—a self-made industrialist and the foremost Jew of his time in Iran, whom the Islamic theocracy targeted as the first civilian executed during the 1979 revolution. With Iran continuing to generate front-page news, his previously untold story is painfully relevant, shedding light on that country's persistent economic, political and social problems.

The odyssey of Elghanian's life and death is told by his granddaughter in an understated style that nonetheless makes clear her powerful stake and personal place in the unfolding drama. Exploring universal themes of loss and longing, belonging and identity, she reconstructs and chronicles his ascent from Tehran's Jewish quarter—"the edge of the pit"—to his business success that was instrumental in modernizing the country to fatefully facing a firing squad.

Titan of Tehran serves as a monument to a man who might have disappeared in the mists of history, even though his execution was reported worldwide on newspaper front pages and in broadcast news reports. In his homeland, Elghanian was misrepresented, mistreated, maligned, and murdered—but now won't be forgotten. He is a riveting character whom listeners will keep in their hearts—a titan, yes, but deeply, sadly, delightfully human, too.

©2021 Shahrzad Elghanayan (P)2022 Tantor

Impactful and important

Sadly incredibly topical in 2024. Beautifully written, heartbreaking, and terrifying. This is an important book that everyone should read.

Incredible story

Thank you for sharing your family’s story with the world. Beautifully written, and tells a tragic story that all fellow minorities should learn from.

A family history

I was hoping for a business history but the author knows little of her grandfather’s business. Much (most?) of the book focused on the titans descendants who were not very interesting. The book is competently written and might appeal to someone who wants to understand a little about upper-class life among Iranian Jews.