Persepolis

***** By Marjane Satrapi.

This is a graphic novel that actually seems to be getting at least a fraction of the great press it deserves, but not enough good things can be said about it. In a similar vein to Art Spiegelman's Maus, Persepolis is the autobiographical tale of a girl's childhood in Iran in the late 1970s and early 1980s, at the peak of Iran's 20th century turmoil. The book shows vignettes of Marji's school and home life and her family's history, meanwhile keenly illustrating the danger and disillusionment of an oppressed people's transition from one tyrranical government to another.

The illustrations are beautiful: elegant and expressive and altogether gorgeous to look at. Likewise, the characterization of Marji never wavers in its strength and clarity; Marji's idealism, humor, imagination, and stubborness ring through on every page. The historical and social aspects of the book are sufficient to make this a worthwhile read, but the humanization of an affair and a nation most Americans remember only for its extremists, through Marji and her family's story, clinches the book's must-read status. Perpetually touching, frequently funny, and always cognizant of Iran's pain and pride, Persepolis will not lose relevance in the foreseeable future.

Posted by Lisa on January 8, 2004 10:30 AM