Maktab-i diktātūr-hā Persiska (Farsi) 2025

“The School for Dictators” (La scuola dei dittatori) by Ignazio Silone, the Italian writer and political thinker, is a political and satirical work that explores the nature of dictatorship, the formation of authoritarian regimes, and the mechanisms through which power is acquired and maintained. Silone wrote the book in 1938, during the rise of fascism in Europe. The Persian translation was completed by Mehdi Sahabi based on the final version of the work.

The book tells the story of two unusual Americans who travel to Europe seeking to learn the secrets of establishing a dictatorship. They meet a man who has spent many years fighting against authoritarian rule. Their conversations become a platform for examining fundamental questions about power: How do dictators rise? What social and political conditions allow them to gain influence? How do they manipulate public opinion, and what methods do they use to preserve their authority?

Rather than presenting a dry political treatise, Silone chooses a structure based on dialogue, satire, irony, and parody to criticize the mechanisms of fascism and authoritarian governments. His own experiences with political activism and his confrontation with Italy’s authoritarian environment give the book’s analysis a concrete and personal dimension.

“The School for Dictators” was first published in German in Zurich, and the Italian edition appeared in 1962 after the author revised the work. Silone later reviewed the text again, and Mehdi Sahabi’s Persian translation is based on the final published version from 1979.

Overall, the book stands at the intersection of literature, political satire, and political thought. Instead of focusing only on individual dictators, it examines the conditions and systems that make the emergence and continuation of authoritarian governments possible.