Persepolis is a graphic novel, an illustrated story, a comic book. But there's no superheroes or magic here - just a rather simple memoir of growing up as a girl and woman in Iran, during the revolution.
I'd read Reading Lolita in Tehran just before I plunged into this, so I was fairly conversant with the recent history of Iran, pre and post revolution, and how it's affected women. But Persepolis is a very different view of that revolution, through a child's and then teenager's eyes.
I loved the spare black and white drawings, the stout little girl who longs to go to a demonstration, and wishes her father were a hero of the revolution. Satrapi portrays horrifying facts and figures in a very simple way - I'm thinking especially of the drawings of bodies layered on top of one another, after a massacre. It's very powerful.
In conclusion - a simple, elegant, powerful story. Satrapi has writtten a sequel, but I've heard it's not as good. I always wonder whether to read such books, usually do, and am almost always disappointed. I may read Persepolis 2 regardless, just for more of those little black and white drawings, marching across the page.
1 comment:
I don't know if I told you this, but the second book is really disappointing. You actually stop liking Marjane, and thats always a problem with books. I suppose, like in real life, she loses her sparkle as she gets older. The original 'Persepolis' was fantastic, but the very famous and very wonderful Maus series is better. It is incredibly moving and really wonderful. Perhaps I have told you that already too..
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