Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood [Paperback]

PERSEPOLIS is what has come to be known as a "graphic novel." In its purist form, a graphic novel is a story told through sequential art. PERSEPOLIS has been compared to MAUS, and certainly Satrapi's topic is somewhat similar, but her artistic style is closer to that of Los Bros Hernandez, whose brilliant LOVE AND ROCKETS is sadly missed. Persepolis begins with a short introduction. It is an abbreviated history of Iran from its first occupation by Indo-European nomads, to the establishment of the Persian Empire, to the 1979 Islamic revolution. The author writes that the purpose of her book is to show that Iran is not a country of fundamentalists and terrorists, and that characterizations of the country by the West are inaccurate. Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Satrapi was born in 1969 in Rasht, Iran…but grew up in Tehran. Her comic book illustrations in Persepolis represent her life from about the age of six through the age of fourteen and ends when she leaves to attend school in Austria (where her parents sent her to escape the escalating violence in Iran). PERSEPOLIS ends with Satrapi's parents sending her to Austria to avoid the repercussions of the Islamic government. One is left wondering what became of Satrapi and her parents. Satrapi is reportedly working on a sequel to PERSEPOLIS, which undoubtedly will be most welcomed by readers of this volume.