Persepolis

The drawings are so deceptively simple and elegant, and the history and personal story are so compelling. It provided the narrative context of what happened when Iran plunged from a secular, educated society into dictatorship and then a theocracy. I had heard such stories from an Iranian acquaintance in college, but never fully appreciated how widespread her experience must have been. We tend to...more

The drawings are so deceptively simple and elegant, and the history and personal story are so compelling. It provided the narrative context of what happened when Iran plunged from a secular, educated society into dictatorship and then a theocracy. I had heard such stories from an Iranian acquaintance in college, but never fully appreciated how widespread her experience must have been. We tend to think of societies and cultures advancing over time, but this is a simple depiction of how religious fundamentalism can be perverted as a tool of domination. And, moreover, how individuals can try to maintain their identity in the face of it. Still, the author/narrator is an extraordinary person, and it's heartbreaking to think how many more subsumed their real selves under the cultural/religious domination.   hide

I saw the film before I read the book, but my knowing the story did not take away from how much I loved the book. It is deeply honest, personal and incredibly well-written, as it weaves together tragedy and humour seamlessly. It is a triumph for Iranian writers, as to my knowledge, it is the first time pre- and post-revolution Iran has been portrayed as accurately and honestly as this. It is...more

I saw the film before I read the book, but my knowing the story did not take away from how much I loved the book. It is deeply honest, personal and incredibly well-written, as it weaves together tragedy and humour seamlessly. It is a triumph for Iranian writers, as to my knowledge, it is the first time pre- and post-revolution Iran has been portrayed as accurately and honestly as this. It is still from the point of view of Marjane Satrapi, so it doesn't claim to be a 100% factual representation of the situation, and it is consciously biased towards her family's beliefs, but it does wonders in changing the West's perspective of Iran and Iranians around the world and so in that sense, it is both a literary and cultural phenomenon. Highly recommended to everyone, both as a very touching portrayal of a young girl at a time of crisis and as a fantastic graphic novel.   hide

Alot of fun to read..

Em va encantar! El vaig llegir en francès (era facilet) i vaig trobar-lo molt fresc.Malgrat m'esperava que se centraria en el règim iranià dels aiatolàs,l'autora també exposa la corrupció i la duresa del període dels Palhevi i les deficiències de l'Europa Occidental com la soletat i la poca solidaritat que mostrem envers els desvalguts.Està explicat d'una manera directa i en ocasions...more

Em va encantar! El vaig llegir en francès (era facilet) i vaig trobar-lo molt fresc.Malgrat m'esperava que se centraria en el règim iranià dels aiatolàs,l'autora també exposa la corrupció i la duresa del període dels Palhevi i les deficiències de l'Europa Occidental com la soletat i la poca solidaritat que mostrem envers els desvalguts.Està explicat d'una manera directa i en ocasions crua,però també deixa lloc per l'humor com quan exposa les absurditats de la dictadura islàmica o les contradiccions del jovent europeu dels 80-90's.Molt recomenable.Ah! I la peli també!   hide

I've already written an essay on the series, which will be published in a forthcoming collection on Iranian literature (by the University of Athabasca). For the purpose of this review, I would say that the series is a revolution in Iranian literature as in it, for the first time, the author's autobiographical self is unveiled in an unprecedented manner (when compared to other memoirs and...more

I've already written an essay on the series, which will be published in a forthcoming collection on Iranian literature (by the University of Athabasca). For the purpose of this review, I would say that the series is a revolution in Iranian literature as in it, for the first time, the author's autobiographical self is unveiled in an unprecedented manner (when compared to other memoirs and autobiographics by other Iranian women).   hide

If I could make this more than 5 stars, I would. I started this book in the afternoon, and finished it off that night - I couldn't put it down! It's a fascinating true story about this woman's childhood during the transition into a fanatic religious rule. She tells the story in a simple voice, almost like a little girl remembering back - yet with so much emotion packed into it. I love how she...more

If I could make this more than 5 stars, I would. I started this book in the afternoon, and finished it off that night - I couldn't put it down! It's a fascinating true story about this woman's childhood during the transition into a fanatic religious rule. She tells the story in a simple voice, almost like a little girl remembering back - yet with so much emotion packed into it. I love how she doesn't sugar-coat the difficult emotions and potentially embarrassing behavior - being ashamed of a father that wasn't a "hero", inventing cruel ways to torment the neighbor kids after hearing stories of torture from adults, even her unconventional relationship with God.I finished the book in tears. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one, and am eager to see the movie. I highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of your taste in books!   hide

This quirky and intense autobiographical b/w graphic novel tells of the author's childhood in Iran beginning during the fall of the Shah in 1980. In the opening scene, Satrapi and her schoolmates romp in the playground, using the veils that the school has just issued them as toys. Her parents are active in the revolution against the Shah's government. Satrapi herself is a descendant of the last...more

This quirky and intense autobiographical b/w graphic novel tells of the author's childhood in Iran beginning during the fall of the Shah in 1980. In the opening scene, Satrapi and her schoolmates romp in the playground, using the veils that the school has just issued them as toys. Her parents are active in the revolution against the Shah's government. Satrapi herself is a descendant of the last emperor of Iran. Her wealthy socialist parents attend demonstrations and educate their daughter in Marxism even as she daydreams of becoming a prophet. But as the revolution progresses, the Islamist forces turn sentiment against the wealthy and the intellectuals, and Satrapi's family becomes the target of repressive forces. Satrapi listens to smuggled tapes of Michael Jackson, Iron Maiden, and Kim Wilde while the war with Iraq devastates the country and her parents become increasingly desperate to find a way to protect her. The black and white art, in small simple panels, is stark and effective, conveying a world that has become a bizarre and unfamiliar cartoon to a girl whose childhood had been one of love, learning, and safety. Much of what Satrapi experiences is the same for teenagers everywhere, and the mix of the familiarity and the surreal is what gives this story much of its power.   hide

Very good. The illustrations aren't a masterpiece, but tastefully done to evoke harsh things such as violence, terror and torture so that it doesn't distract from the story. The story itself is very interesting and told in a way that doesn't get you down or negative. Very interesting to read and heartbreaking towards the end! Definitely makes you want to read the second portion. I'm a bit pissed...more

Very good. The illustrations aren't a masterpiece, but tastefully done to evoke harsh things such as violence, terror and torture so that it doesn't distract from the story. The story itself is very interesting and told in a way that doesn't get you down or negative. Very interesting to read and heartbreaking towards the end! Definitely makes you want to read the second portion. I'm a bit pissed off that the publishers try to make you buy TWO books--people should just get the "hardcover" version that has both books in it!   hide

First of all, thank you to Abram for suggesting this book. I can't believe how much I liked it - I was sure that I would not like a graphic novel but as soon as I finished I went online to my library and requested Persepolis 2. This is a black and white graphic novel sort of in the style of Wanda Gag. It seems to be totally autobiographical and tells the story of living in Iran before...more

First of all, thank you to Abram for suggesting this book. I can't believe how much I liked it - I was sure that I would not like a graphic novel but as soon as I finished I went online to my library and requested Persepolis 2. This is a black and white graphic novel sort of in the style of Wanda Gag. It seems to be totally autobiographical and tells the story of living in Iran before and during the revolution and the rise of the religious state. The story is told through the eyes of a child from about age 7 to 13. At times I was confused about what was happening or who was whom - but I realized that this was exactly how a child would see the complexity of the world. Marjane's family were devoted Marxist and liberals and she was raised to be outspoken and was given a good education. Her family's situation grows more and more tenuous as the novel progresses, but it is not clear that Marjane is aware of how bad things are. It ends with her leaving to attend school in Austria and the tension surrounding this move is very high for her, for her family and for the reader. By this point I had totally forgotten that I was reading a graphic novel. I think the book is for adults and for young adults. It would be an amazing book to read in school and discuss.First of all, thank you to Abram for suggesting this book. I can't believe how much I liked it - I was sure that I would not like a graphic novel but as soon as I finished I went online to my library and requested Persepolis 2. This is a black and white graphic novel sort of in the style of Wanda Gag. It seems to be totally autobiographical and tells the story of living in Iran before and during the revolution and the rise of the religious state. The story is told through the eyes of a child from about age 7 to 13. At times I was confused about what was happening or who was whom - but I realized that this was exactly how a child would see the complexity of the world. Marjane's family were devoted Marxist and liberals and she was raised to be outspoken and was given a good education. Her family's situation grows more and more tenuous as the novel progresses, but it is not clear that Marjane is aware of how bad things are. It ends with her leaving to attend school in Austria and the tension surrounding this move is very high for her, for her family and for the reader. By this point I had totally forgotten that I was reading a graphic novel. I think the book is for adults and for young adults. It would be an amazing book to read in school and discuss.   hide