Author(s): Jason Elliott

Travel Writing

Jason Elliot's new book, Mirrors of the Unseen - Journeys in Iran , builds on the success of his award-winning first book, An Unexpected Light This is literary travel writing at its best: brimming with history, anecdote and provocative analysis. The distillation of three years of travel and research, Mirrors of the Unseen is not only an exploration of the immensely rich heritage of Persian culture, but also a unique and timely portrait of contemporary Iran. In it we are introduced to the hair-raising streets of Tehran, and ponder the sublime architecture of Isfahan; we travel on horseback through the forests of the north (as the guest of Princess Firouz), across the bleak landscapes of Kurdistan, and re-trace Robert Byron's steps to the sites of the nation's most fabled monuments. Mirrors of the Unseen is also a passionate enquiry into the nature of Persian and Islamic art, challenging conventional definitions of 'abstract' art and yielding astonishing insights into its geometrical and symbolic sophistication. Profound, illuminating and characteristically charming, Mirrors of the Unseen dispels all stereotypical views of a much-misrepresented country, and offers precious insight into a land from which we are likely to hear much more in the near future.