Persepolis: The Story of an Iranian Childhood |
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Marjane Satrapi
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Pages: 168 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0224064401
Pub: Jonathan Cape
Pub date: 2003-05-22
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 34546
Editorial Review:
Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis is an exemplary autobiographical graphic novel, in the tradition of Art Spiegelman's classic Maus. Set in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, it follows the young Satrapi, the six-year-old daughter of two committed and well-to-do Marxists. As she grows up, she witness first-hand the effects that the revolution and the war with Iraq have on her home, family and school.
The main strength of Persepolis is its ability to make the political personal. Told through the eyes of a child (as reflected in Satrapi's simplistic yet expressive black-and-white artwork), the story shows how young Marjane learns about her family history and how it is entwined with the history of Iran, and watches her liberal parents cope with a fundamentalist regime that gets increasingly rigid as it gains more power. Outspoken and intelligent, Marjane chafes at Iran's increasingly conservative interpretation of Islamic law, especially as she grows into a bright and independent teenager. Throughout she remains a hugely likeable young woman.
Persepolis gives the reader a snapshot of daily life in a country struggling with an internal cultural revolution and a bloody war, but within an intensely personal context. It's a very human history, beautifully and sympathetically told. --Robert Burrow
Reader Reviews:
Illustrated Revolution (0/0 people found this helpful)
Marjane Satrapi was ten-years-old when the Islamic revolution took away her freedom and rights, thrusting Iran back into the Dark Ages. Through simple but elegant illustrations, Satrapi tells the story of her childhood in Tehran during this time in her country's history. She shows the horrors and deprivations caused by the rise of religious extremists, as well as the bitter humour and courage that each ordinary citizen found to survive such a period.
The amazing thing about this graphic novel is how Satrapi can convey and stir emotions through illustrations. The themes she explores are universal - families torn apart, innocents persecuted, evil gaining power - but she makes them all the more powerful by injecting her young self's punk humour into the storytelling and making the reader care for her and her family. There's a sequel, which I can't wait to read, as well as a film, which is being touted as 2008's winner of the Best Foreign Language Oscar.
With Iran so often villified in the media, it's good to be reminded that the people in that country are just like you and I: not necessarily the choosers of their regime; and certainly not deserving of any bombs coming their way.
Wonderful! (0/0 people found this helpful)
I loved this book ... it's very clever and very funny - really humanises life in an opressive regime in a way that news reports simply cannot. Satrapi's humour is perfectly done (I loved Marji's picture book of dialetical materialism), but there are moments of real horror here too. There were several points that made me cry.
The little girl in the story is a wonderful character and the black-and-white drawings show so much of her vibrancy. Hightly recommended.
Politics with humour, wonderful stuff (2/2 people found this helpful)
A graphic novel that serves as the autobiography of author Marjane Saptrapi. I read the complete edition which contains "The story of a childhood" and "The story of a return". Marjane Satrapi was born in 1969 in Iran during the Shah's reign. During her lifetime she has witnessed first hand the takeovwe by the Revolution, the war between Iran and Iraq and the compulsary wearing of the veil by all woman in Iran. Her parents were very liberal and she grew up with an immense curiosity and drive to speak her mind which often got her into trouble in such a strict society. At the age of 14 her parents send her alone to Austria where she goes to school but doesn't fit in. She associates with punks and nihilists where she experiments with drugs and has her first relationship which sadly doesn't end well. After spending some time living on the streets and nearly dying she decides to return home, but starts to suffer from depression when she is back. In Iran she feels like a Westener and in the Western world she feels like an Iranian so struggles to find her place.
This was an excellent novel beautifully illustrated and told with warmth and humour despite the often tragic subjects. I am not really one for politics and don't know more than the basics, but this has given me a thorough grounding in Iranian culture and the wars going on in and near by Iran. The Western view of Iran is of oppression, particularly of woman, and it was lovely to see that behind closed doors there are parties, make-up, relationships (both straight and gay) and everything pretty much the same as over here. The only difference is if caught the penalty can range from interrogation to whipping to death.
If you don't read graphic novels, I urge you not to be put off reading this as you will miss a great story and a great piece work of politics too.
A marvel (1/1 people found this helpful)
After visiting Iran I felt like I had been cheated for years by the media. They had hidden the truth about this wonderful country from the West by only ever focusing on the extremist and fundamentalist few. Finally a book has been written which speaks from the heart of Iran, with the wit and honesty which I came across every day. Satrapi's graphics are moving and wonderfully simple and her words keeps you turning the pages. This was bought for me as a gift, and I have already finished it and forced all my friends to get going. Truly this book is a marvel.
A comic strip for all ages (18/18 people found this helpful)
This book traces the life of young girl growing up in turbulent times in Iran, beginning with life under the Shah, moving on to the revolution and continuing through the Iran / Iraq war. The girl narrates anecdotes from her own life that provide a thought-provoking window onto the way these events affected ordinary individuals. The choice of a comic strip to portray events of such significance and tragedy has some disadvantages, one being the limits it places on the possibilities of characterization. On the other hand, there are also numerous advantages. The illustrations can at times be quite powerful, the simplicity of the format is used effectively to highlight the stark brutality and poignancy of the events portrayed, and perhaps above all, the graphic novel format makes a story with such important themes accessible to people of all ages.
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