July 05, 2003
Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis
I just finished reading Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel/memoir Persepolis. Already a best-seller in France, where it first appeared, the book has recently been published in the States. Satrapi is the great-granddaughter of the emperor of Iran, who was overthrown by Reza Shah in what at first was a bid to create a republic but in the end simply ushered in the Pahlavi dynasty. The book tells the story of Marjane (or Marji) who is 10 years old at the time of the 1979 revolution in Iran, and chronicles the next four years of her life, up until the moment when her parents, fearing for her future, send her off alone to Austria to stay with a friend of theirs.
Unlike many Iranians who fled in 1979, Satrapi has no romantic nostalgia for the reign of the Shah of Iran, and rightly so. The Shah was a brutal dictator who lived it up while the people suffered. But she is also disappointed in the revolution that followed. Although the opening chapter on the veil is overly simplistic (a panel shows two groups of women, one chanting "the veil" and the other chanting "freedom"), Satrapi has a keen eye for how the fundamentalists changed people around her (there is a scene of kids who brag about how many times a day they pray.) There are many poignant scenes in this book (Marji's dialogues with God are one example, the yellow plastic keys to heaven is another.) The story is gripping, the dialogue is sharp, and the charcters are well observed. Like Maus or Palestine, Persepolis is a landmark. A must for anyone who wants to understand modern-day Iran.
She was actually on the Kojo Nnamdi Show here on DC public radio a couple of weeks ago. Very interesting indeed.
If you're into that, by the way, you might try picking up the first 20 or so issues of The 'Nam, a Marvel production from c.14 years back. It's not a graphic novel per se, but it reads like one. Quite good.
Posted by: Tacitus on July 6, 2003 01:27 PMThe 'yellow plastic keys' section was extracted in UK broadsheet 'The Independent On Sunday '. Very compelling and great graphics. ( And no surprise to discover that money and class wiil keep you away from the frontline whether your country's run by Mammon or under the will of the Almighty...)
I've only ever met one Iranian expat. Her family had a pretty cushioned bourgeois existence out there but she wasn't nostalgic about the days of the Shah. She spoke feelingly about the paranoia of everyday life and not knowing who the police informers were in the classroom.
Posted by: dud on July 7, 2003 05:07 AMPost a comment
About
bio articles news contact rssMy Events
04.26: LA Times Festival of Books04.30: Claremont, California
09.23-10.04: International Literature Festival Berlin
Search
My book
In hardcover
In Morocco
In Italian
In Portuguese
In french
In dutch
In spanish
Monthly Archives
April 2008March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002
September 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
Comments