Cell No. 14: Autobiography and Memoirs Written by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei

The first Russian-language edition of the memoirs of the Supreme Leader of Iran, Seyed Ali Khamenei, is not only an account of a political path, but also the personal story of a man who, for his beliefs, went through arrests, prisons, exile, and torture.

The book recreates the atmosphere of pre-revolutionary Iran: interrogations, cells, privations, and endurance that proved stronger than repression and influenced the fate of the country.

The edition is intended for political scientists, historians, and everyone who seeks to understand contemporary Iran through the testimony of a direct participant in these events.

You are holding the first Russian-language edition of the memoirs of one of the most prominent spiritual and political leaders of our time—Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. These candid memoirs take the reader into the tense years of confrontation with the shah’s regime, when a young theologian and steadfast ally of Imam Khomeini repeatedly faced arrest and persecution.

On these pages, readers will encounter the harsh realities of pre-revolutionary Iran—prison life, exhausting interrogations, and the hardships of exile. But above all, the inner world of a man is revealed, whose faith and resilience over time helped change the course of history of an entire state.

The book will be of interest both to specialists in the history of the Middle East and to a broad circle of readers who want to gain a deeper understanding of contemporary Iran through the lens of the personal experience of its outstanding leader.