Apr 15 2009
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi constructed this graphic novel, originally in French, to depict her life in Iran during and after the revolution. I heard about this autobiographical novel from Books on the Nightstand, a podcast that I listen to regularly. Satrapi, who is the great-grandaughter of the Shah of Persia, is nine years old when fundamentalist Muslims overthrow the Shah and shut down schools. While her revolutionary, socialist/communist family and friends extoll the virtues of the overthrow, they learn that a totalitarian and fundamentalist state is taking over and their feelings chill markedly towards the new regime.
I read the whole book in probably one day. Quite frankly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel because I’d never read a comic book before and I don’t generally have high opinions of them anyways - yes I’m a snob in that sense and maybe I’m missing out. Satrapi tells the story of a recent event in an unorthodox manner - with stark black and white cartoons that are pretty minimalist. Her sense of humor also shines through in each story that she tells in part because she tells her stories through the eyes of a child. This first hand account also adds a humanistic face to history - it’s not just the facts. We can see the emotions that these actions had on people and, because of this, we can learn to empathize with these same people.
I am not Iranian. I have never been to Iran and I’m not sure if I ever will be able to go to iran in my lifetime. This novel helped me to gain a little insight into a whole lot of Iranians that were forced to leave the country in order to remain safe, because their viewpoints may have differed from those of the ruling party. I can’t say that I will ever understand their experience, ever, but this novel helped me to at least begin the journey towards empathy.
For that reason, I think it’s a really wonderful and important work.
Book 18/100
