When All Photos Are on the Table

In facing events, depending on which side of the story we stand on, we may offer different judgments. And when we ourselves have not been at the heart of the event and are distanced from it, our judgment is influenced by the narratives we hear about the incident. An event like August 19, 1953, can evoke and strengthen our empathy with one side of the story depending on which book we read it in or whose account we listen to. However, personally, like many of you, I have not had the opportunity to gather all the existing narratives about it and obtain a more accurate picture. The cover design of the book 'Saqt' that my colleague Keyvan Hosseini did in the radio series 'Saqt' was an attempt to provide such an image. He studied various narratives related to the August 19 event for weeks and tried to engage with sources that were direct witnesses to the events leading to Mossadegh's downfall, so that perhaps for the first time he could present more parts of this event for the audience's judgment. [Read more: How to obtain the book 'Saqt'?] I believe a journalist is not a referee in a sports match to judge the execution of the rules of the game between two sides. Rather, they are like a spotlight that illuminates all angles of the ground and all angles of the game so that the audience can have a proper and fitting image from all sides. In my view, what Keyvan did in the radio series 'Saqt', and simultaneously in its online version, is of this nature; an effort to illuminate more angles of one of the most controversial events in contemporary history and to provide a balanced and proportional image of it. And now you can follow it in the form of a printed or digital book. Years ago, I read from one of the editors of Le Monde that when you depict someone's face from below, you create a fearsome visage, and when you depict it from above, you create a contemptible face. Every angle you choose for your light and photo highlights part of the subject's identity and overshadows the other parts. He said that when you can present a complete image of the subject, all photos should be on the table at the same time. Keyvan's effort to narrate the events leading to August 19 and its consequences in the form of 'Saqt' seems to me an attempt to gather all the photos of this event on the table.