Review of the graphic memoir Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

    “…this old and great civilization has been discussed mostly in connection with fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism. As an Iranian who has lived more than half of my life in Iran, I know that this image is far from the truth. This is why writing Persepolis was important to me. I believe that an entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings of a few extremists. I also don’t want those Iranians who lost their lives in prisons defending freedom, who died in the war against Iraq, who suffered under various repressive regimes, or who were forced to leave their families and flee their homeland to be forgotten.

     One can forgive but one should never forget.”

-From the introduction of Persepolis.  

  

     Smack in the middle of a region so often the concern of international political debates and yet also so glaringly misunderstood, Iran’s past and current history is a difficult subject to take on. In stellar fashion, graphic memoirist Marjane Satrapi summarizes that tumultuous past in the introduction to her book, Persepolis: The Story Of A Childhood. It takes just a page and a half for her to boil down thousands of years worth of history beginning with the first Aryan settlement in the second millennium B.C. — the foundation of the first Iranian nation in the seventh century B.C., the many changes of power and invasions that followed, the European colonialism upon discovery of oil within the country’s borders, the regime of the Shahs, and the CIA-led overthrow of those who would nationalize that wealth for the people. Despite the near-constant turmoil of history, Satrapi makes sure to stress that the Persian culture and language remained strong. Her pride and respect for the past, present and future of Iran are palpable in the words and phrases she has carefully chosen to use.  

      And this pride and respect continue to be evident throughout the memoir that follows the concise introduction. The author immediately introduces readers to her 10 years old self in 1979. It is that year that the Islamic Revolution took power of Iran and began to drastically alter the rules and customs of the land, rendering the political and personal landscape nearly impossible for a head and heart strong little girl to navigate. 

     Satrapi’s words and images expertly chronicle the story of her childhood and adolescence attempting to balance her rebellious nature with the climate of political repression that hung heavy in her country. There are a multitude of moments that starkly contrast her home life with liberal parents to that of her public life. Outside the walls of her house, Satrapi’s young self and the rest of the Iranian population were shrouded within the folds of oppressive laws meant to silence those who would speak and/or act against the regime. Or even just act as a young person does — curious and candid. 

     There are frightening moments like this throughout the memoir and even more horrifying events, such as the Persian Gulf War between Iran and Iraq that lasted from 1980 to 1988, injuring and killing thousands of Satrapi’s fellow country people. 

     And there are moments that speak just as loudly but with irresistible laughter and amusement at the young girl's undiminished fiery attitude and desire for self-expression.

     Above all, Satrapi's memoir stridently illustrates the intersectional nature of the personal and the political, not only for the young heroine, but also for those Iranians whose voices are less accessible and loud. Their stories are just as important to hear and tease apart from popular media's very singular, simplified, and damning soundbites about an entire nation alive with diverse attitudes and experiences. It is through hearing their tales that we can find the similarities that link us to one another despite the differences. Armed with faulty beliefs and misinformation, there are so many who think the gulf between themselves and others is too wide a distance to bridge. Satrapi's memoir is further evidence that, though we are distinctly unique in a multitude of ways, we are also alike in our struggles for truthful self-expression and a dignified existence.

     "I've always felt that it is impossible to engage properly with a place or a person without engaging with all of the stories of that place and that person. The danger of a single story is that it robs people of dignity, it makes recognition of our equal humanity difficult, it emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar."

- Novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, excerpt from TEDGlobal July, 2009.