Marjane Satrapi (; fa, مرجان ساتراپی ; born 22 November 1969) is a French-Iranian

graphic novelist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. Her best-known works include the graphic novel ''

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'' and its film adaptation, the graphic novel ''

Chicken with Plums ''Chicken with Plums'' (French: ''Poulet aux prunes'') is a 2004 graphic novel by Iranian author Marjane Satrapi. Synopsis Nasser Ali Khan, a relative of Satrapi's and a renown Tar player, has his cherished instrument broken after a quarrel. Th ...

'', and the

Marie Curie Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the fir ...

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudr ...

Radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consi ...

''.

Biography

Satrapi was born in

Rasht Rasht ( fa, رشت, Rašt ; glk, Rəšt, script=Latn; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt ''Recht'' in French and older German manuscripts) is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (, ''Ŝahre B ...

, Iran. She grew up in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

in a middle-class Iranian family and attended the French-language school, Lycée Razi. Both her parents were politically active and supported leftist causes against the monarchy of the last Shah. When the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

took place in 1979, they underwent rule by the Islamic fundamentalists who took power. During her youth, Satrapi was exposed to the growing brutalities of the various regimes. Many of her family friends were persecuted, arrested, and even murdered. She found a hero in her paternal uncle, Anoosh, who had been a political prisoner and lived in exile in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

for a time. Young Satrapi greatly admired her uncle, and he in turn doted on her, treating her more as a daughter than a niece. Once back in Iran, Anoosh was arrested again and sentenced to death. Anoosh was only allowed one visitor the night before his execution, and he requested Satrapi. His body was buried in an unmarked grave in the prison. It is said that Anoosh was the nephew of Fereydun Ebrahimi, Minister of Justice of

Azerbaijan People's Government The Azerbaijan People's Government ( az, آذربایجان میللی حکومتی - Azərbaycan Milli Hökuməti; fa, حکومت خودمختار آذربایجان) was a short-lived unrecognized secessionist state in northern Iran from Nov ...

, a secessionist government that tried to secede from Pahlavi Persia in 1945. Although Satrapi's parents encouraged her to be strong-willed and defend her rights, they grew concerned for her safety. Barely in her teens by this time, she was skirting trouble with police for disregarding modesty codes and buying music banned by the regime. They arranged for her to live with a family friend, Zozo, to study abroad, and in 1983, at age fourteen, she arrived in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, to attend the

Lycée Français de Vienne In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children betwee ...

. She stayed in Vienna through her high school years, often moving from one residence to another as situations changed, and sometimes stayed at friends' homes. Eventually, she was homeless and lived on the streets for three months, until she was hospitalized for an almost deadly bout of

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

. Upon recovery, she returned to Iran. She studied visual communication, eventually obtaining a master's degree from

Islamic Azad University The Islamic Azad University (IAU; fa, دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی, ''Dāneshgāh-e Āzād-e Eslāmi'') is a private university system headquartered in Tehran, Iran. It is one of the largest comprehensive systems of universities, colleg ...

in Tehran. Satrapi then married Reza, a veteran of the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Counci ...

, when she was 21, whom she later divorced. She then moved to

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...

, France. Her parents told her that Iran was no longer the place for her, and encouraged her to stay in Europe permanently. Satrapi is currently married to Mattias Ripa, a Swedish national. They live in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. Apart from her native language, Persian, she speaks French, English, Swedish, German, and Italian.

Career

Comic books

Satrapi became famous worldwide because of her critically acclaimed autobiographical

graphic novels A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

, originally published in French in four parts in 2000–2003 and in English translation in two parts in 2003 and 2004, respectively, as '' Persepolis and Persepolis 2'', which describe her childhood in Iran and her adolescence in Europe. ''Persepolis'' won the '' Angoulême ''Coup de Coeur'' Award'' at the

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (french: Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after ...

. In 2013, Chicago schools were ordered by the district to remove ''Persepolis'' from classrooms because of the work's graphic language and violence. This banning incited protests and controversy. Her later publication, '' Embroideries'' (''Broderies''), was also nominated for the Angoulême Album of the Year award in 2003, an award that her novel ''

'' (''Poulet aux prunes'') won. She has also contributed to the

Op-Ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. ...

section of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Comics Alliance listed Satrapi as one of 12 women cartoonists deserving of lifetime achievement recognition. Satrapi prefers the term "comic books" to "graphic novels." "People are so afraid to say the word 'comic'," she told the ''

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...

'' newspaper in 2011. "It makes you think of a grown man with pimples, a ponytail and a big belly. Change it to 'graphic novel' and that disappears. No: it's all comics."

Films

''Persepolis'' was adapted into an animated film of the same name. It debuted at the

2007 Cannes Film Festival The 60th Cannes Film Festival ran from 16 to 27 May 2007. The President of the Jury was British director Stephen Frears. Twenty two films from twelve countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 26 May. '' 4 ...

in May 2007 and shared a Special Jury Prize with

Carlos Reygadas Carlos Reygadas Castillo (; born October 10, 1971) is a Mexican filmmaker. Influenced by existentialist art and philosophy, Reygadas' movies feature spiritual journeys into the inner worlds of his main characters, through which themes of love, ...

's '' Silent Light'' (''Luz silenciosa''). Co-written and co-directed by Satrapi and director

Vincent Paronnaud Vincent Paronnaud (born 20 February 1970), a.k.a. Winshluss, is a French comics artist and filmmaker. Biography Paronnaud was born in La Rochelle. He is French comic book writer and artist. His works comprise one shots: ''Super negra'' (1999) ...

, the French-language picture stars the voices of

Chiara Mastroianni Chiara Charlotte Mastroianni (born 28 May 1972) is a French actress and singer. She is the daughter of Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve. Early life Mastroianni was born to French actress Catherine Deneuve and Italian actor Marcello Ma ...

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

, Danielle Darrieux, and

Simon Abkarian Simon Abkarian (Armenian: Սիմոն Աբկարյան, born March 5, 1962) is a French-Armenian actor. Life and career Born in Gonesse, Val d'Oise, of Armenian descent, Abkarian spent his childhood in Lebanon. He moved to Los Angeles, wher ...

. The English version, starring the voices of Gena Rowlands,

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

, and

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

, was nominated for

Best Animated Feature This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

80th Academy Awards The 80th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2007. The award ceremony took place on February 24, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During t ...

in January 2008. Satrapi was the first woman to be nominated for the award. However, the Iranian government denounced the film and got it dropped from the Bangkok International Film Festival. Otherwise, ''Persepolis'' was a very successful film both commercially (with over a million admissions in France alone) as well as critically, winning Best First Film at the César Awards 2008. The film reflects many tendencies of first-time filmmaking in France (which makes up around 40% of all French cinema each year), notably in its focus on very intimate rites of passage, and quite ambivalently recounted coming-of-age moments. Satrapi and Paronnaud continued their successful collaboration with a second film, a live-action adaptation of ''Chicken with Plums'', released in late 2011. In 2012, Satrapi directed and acted in the comedy crime film '' Gang of the Jotas'', from her own screenplay. In 2014 Satrapi directed the comedy-horror film ''

The Voices ''The Voices'' is a 2014 comedy horror film directed by Marjane Satrapi, written by Michael R. Perry, and starring Ryan Reynolds, Gabriel Bateman, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick and Jacki Weaver. It had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film ...

'', from a screenplay by

Michael R. Perry Michael R. Perry (born April 15, 1963 in Columbus, Ohio) is an American television producer, television writer and screenwriter. . His television credits include '' Eerie, Indiana'', ''New York Undercover'', ''American Gothic'', ''The Practice ...

. In 2019, Satrapi directed a biopic of two-time

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner

, titled ''

''.

Political activism

Following the Iranian elections in June 2009, Satrapi and Iranian filmmaker

Mohsen Makhmalbaf Mohsen Makhmalbaf ( fa, محسن مخملباف, ''Mohsen Makhmalbaaf''; born May 29, 1957) is an Iranian film director, writer, film editor, and producer. He has made more than 20 feature films, won some 50 awards and been a juror in more than 1 ...

appeared before Green Party members in the European Parliament to present a document allegedly received from a member of the Iranian electoral commission claiming that the reform candidate,

Mir Hossein Mousavi ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

, had actually won the election, and that the conservative incumbent Mahmoud Ahmedinejad had received only 12% of the vote.

Awards

*2001: Angoulême ''Coup de Coeur'' Award for ''Persepolis'' *2002: Angoulême Prize for Scenario for ''Persepolis: Tome 2'' *2005: Angoulême Best Comic Book Award for ''Poulet aux prunes'' *2007: Jury Prize for ''Persepolis'' (tied with '' Silent Light''), Cannes Film Festival *2007: Best Animation:

Los Angeles Film Critics Association The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is an American film critic organization founded in 1975. Background Its membership comprises film critics from Los Angeles-based print and electronic media. In December of each year, the organiza ...

*2008:

Gat Perich The Gat Perich International Humor Prize, (Premi Internacional d'Humor Gat Perich) is an international award to cartoonists or humorists given in memory of Spanish cartoonist Jaume Perich (1941–1995). It has been awarded since 1995. The prize con ...

Award *2009:

Doctor honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad ho ...

both at the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, ...

and the

Université catholique de Louvain The Université catholique de Louvain (also known as the Catholic University of Louvain, the English translation of its French name, and the University of Louvain, its official English name) is Belgium's largest French-speaking university. It ...

from

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

*2013: Noor Iranian Film Festival award for Best Animation Director, for ''

Works

French

* * * * *''Sagesses et malices de la Perse'' (2001, with Lila Ibrahim-Ouali and Bahman Namwar-Motalg, Albin Michel, ) *''Les monstres n'aiment pas la lune'' (2001, Nathan Jeunesse, ) *''Ulysse au pays des fous'' (2001, with Jean-Pierre Duffour, Nathan Jeunesse, ) *''Ajdar'' (2002, Nathan Jeunesse, ) *''Broderies'' (2003, L'Association, ) * *''Le Soupir'' (2004, Bréal Jeunesse, )

English

* * * *''Embroideries'' (2005, Pantheon ) * *''Monsters Are Afraid of the Moon'' (2006, Bloomsbury, ) *''The Sigh'' (2011, Archaia)

Filmography

Notes

References

External links

''Persepolis'' film (2008) official website
Sony Picture Classics
Marjane Satrapi, author
at Random House

on Lambiek Comiclopedia

interview by Robert Chalmers, ''The Independent'' (1 October 2006)
Marjane Satrapi interview
at Bookslut (2004)
Marjane Satrapi interview
at Powells.com (2006)

at Reviewgraveyard.com
"Bringing Iran To The West: Marjane Satrapi's ''Persepolis''"
at The Culturatti

* ttps://www.vogue.com/article/emma-watson-interviews-marjane-satrapi Interview with Emma Watsonat Vogue.com (2016)
A Family Affair: Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War
by Women of War podcast {{DEFAULTSORT:Satrapi, Marjane 1969 births French socialists French comics artists French female comics artists French comics writers French women film directors French democracy activists French graphic novelists Iranian socialists Iranian comics artists Iranian comics writers Iranian democracy activists Iranian dissidents Iranian graphic novelists 21st-century Iranian women writers Iranian expatriates in Austria Iranian emigrants to France Living people People from Rasht Iranian female comics artists Female comics writers Iranian women film directors Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch alumni 20th-century Iranian women writers 21st-century French women writers 21st-century French women artists French dissidents 21st-century Iranian artists 20th-century Iranian artists 20th-century French women