He reportedly spoke with an accent and had strong influences from French literature and philosophy, deriving from his schooling abroad. Some of that, though, he says, he learned in spite of his mother’s insistence on Persian language and culture. In his later life, Hoveyda seems to have remained attentive to his mother’s well-being. For example, when she was in ill health, that was a factor in some of his decisions to remain in or leave for periods. After his execution, it was reported that his mother was never told of his death, due to her being in a bedridden condition.
Fereydoun was born in Damascus, Syria, in 1924 while their father, Habibollah Hoveyda, served as Consul-General. His mother, Afsar-ol-Molouk, thus would have been living with or accompanying her husband on diplomatic assignment. From what is known about her family, the times, and Hoveyda’s later memories, one can make educated guesses about aspects of her life and influence that are not explicitly documented.
