Einar reviewed Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis
4 stars
I read this about twenty years ago, when it was new and I was more interested in comics. I probably read it around the same time as I read Art Spiegelman's Maus (which I should also reread, and which I know was an inspiration for Persepolis). I bought it in a second hand shop a couple of years ago meaning to reread it, but did never get to it. When it was reported that Marjane Satrapi had died a couple of weeks ago I felt that now it is time. With the current protests and war, getting a better grasp of Iranian history and society also felt more urgent.
The book tells the tale of the author from childhood until she leaves permanently for art studies in France in her mid-twenties. A large part of the book plays out in Austria where Satrapi was sent during the Iran-Iraq war …
I read this about twenty years ago, when it was new and I was more interested in comics. I probably read it around the same time as I read Art Spiegelman's Maus (which I should also reread, and which I know was an inspiration for Persepolis). I bought it in a second hand shop a couple of years ago meaning to reread it, but did never get to it. When it was reported that Marjane Satrapi had died a couple of weeks ago I felt that now it is time. With the current protests and war, getting a better grasp of Iranian history and society also felt more urgent.
The book tells the tale of the author from childhood until she leaves permanently for art studies in France in her mid-twenties. A large part of the book plays out in Austria where Satrapi was sent during the Iran-Iraq war at the age of fourteen.
I mostly remembered the book's first part which is centered around the Iranian revolution and how it impacted Satrapi's family. Satrapi's parents was leftists, and the other relatives was active in the struggle against the Shah in different capacities, but was largely powerless when the islamists captured the revolution. A relative who was very dear to Satrapi was executed by the islamic republic in the aftermath of the revolution.
What I had largely forgotten was the other themes of the book. Satrapi's exile in Austria as a very young teenager and her return to an Iran that had changed a lot while she was away with the Islamic republic getting a firmer grasp of Iranian society during the Iran-Iraq war. These two parts is each about a third of the full book (I think the original french was released in three parts). How Persepolis largely is a story of never really fitting in, about growing up and about the difficulty of becoming who you are when society tries to constrain you.
The strength of the book to me as a westerner, as someone who doesn't know much about Iran is that it makes the characters relatable. Not only the main character, but most of the people around her. Even under a dramatic situation (revolution, war, exile) they have many of the same problems that we do, or at least problems that we can understand. During my reading I felt that I got to know the characters. I really like the drawing style and think it contributes to this. The drawings are exactly as detailed as they need to be, but not more.
I haven't seen the animated movie, but should see if it can be viewed somewhere.