Mrs. Johnsmeyer

Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi

 

 

Marjane

Satrapi’s graphic novel is a memoir of her experiences growing up in Tehran during the 1979 Iranian Revolution, later known as the Islamic Revolution.  Her family is portrayed as educated, upper class, modern and political.    Her parents protest vehemently against the corrupt leadership of the Shah, the then king of Iran.  As political activists, her family supports the movement to establish a republic; however, the hiatus in power left from the Shah’s expulsion from the country allows radical religious leaders to wrestle control of the government, instituting strict religious fundamentalists rules.  Among them are rigid dress codes requiring women to wear a black veil, men beards.  Anything suggestive of western culture, including music, literature and clothing is strictly forbidden.  Sadly, a new wave of political unrest, imprisonment, torture and death sentences ensues..  Satrapi also includes the day-to-day experiences she and her family suffer during the Iraq-Iran War.  There are shortages of food and supplies, but more alarming is the destruction of property,  casualties and death due to the frequent bomb raids.  In short, constant fear and unrest.   Through it all, Satrapi and her family endure; her parents continue to focus on the importance of her education.  Life in Iran becomes increasingly more hostile, and thus fearing for their daughter’s safety, her parents take steps to send her to boarding school, away from the political and religious oppression in Iran.  The novel is a gripping coming of age memoir that gives insight into the experiences of a typical well-educated, modern Iranian family who get caught up in the maelstrom of radical Islamic ideology.  It not only teaches the history behind the events of the Iranian Revolution, but it also reveals real people trying to live, love, work and raise a family in peace, with dignity, all universal concerns. 

 

 

About the Author

Marjane Satrapi was born in Iran in 1969. She grew up in Tehran during a time of great social and political upheaval.  Her parents and extended family, like many Iranians, were educated intellectuals who became involved in  socialist and communist movements, which were silenced with the 1979 Islamic Revolution.  The new revolutionary regime imposed a rigid religious and political ideology on the people of Iran.  Failure to conform to the laws of the land meant imprisonment and death.  In order to protect their daughter, Satrapi’s parents sent her to high school in Vienna, Austria.  She attended college in Iran and immigrated to France in 1994 where she became inspired to write a graphic novel drawing on her childhood experiences in Iran.  Her goal was to show a personal and more authentic view of Iran that differs from the images that were projected on TV.  Satrapi wrote a sequel to Persepolis, entitled Persepolis II, which chronicles her adolescence.  The movie version of the two graphic novels was released in April 2008.  Satrapi currently lives in Paris and continues to write.