Persepolis

Wise, often funny, sometimes heart-breaking, Persepolis tells the story of Marjane Satrapi's life in Tehran , growing up during the Iranian Revolution.

The intelligent and outspoken child of radical Marxists, and the great-grandaughter of Iran's last emperor, Satrapi bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country. Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life.

Amidst the tragedy, Marjane's child's eye view adds immediacy and humour, and her story of a childhood at once outrageous and ordinary, beset by the unthinkable and yet buffered by an extraordinary and loving family, is immensely moving.

Review

As Iran enters another important period of change...I think this is particularly good time to pick up Persepolis. Satrapi's deceptively simple, almost whimsical drawings belie the seriousness and rich complexity of her story - but its also very funny too -- Emma Watson ― Our Shared Shelf

A revelation...you will remember it for a very long time -- Mark Haddon

Persepolis is a stylish, clever and moving weapon of mass destruction -- David Jenkins ― Sunday Telegraph

The magic of Marjane Satrapi's work is that it can condense a whole country's tragedy into one poignant, funny scene after another -- Natasha Walter ― Independent on Sunday

I cannot praise enough Marjane Satrapi's moving account of growing up as a spirited young girl in revolutionary and war-time Iran. Persepolis is disarming and often humorous but ultimately it is shattering -- Joe Sacco

About the Author

Marjane Satrapi was born in 1969 in Rasht, Iran. She now lives in Paris where she is a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers throughout the world, including the New Yorker and the New York Times. She is the author of several children's books, as well as the critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling memoir Persepolis, which has been translated into twelve languages, and was awarded the first Fernando Bueso Blanco Peace Prize in Spain. Her other books include Embroideries and Chicken With Plums.