My Thoughts on Persepolis
Normally I'll see a film before I read the book it's based on. Since the novel is bound to be better I figure why be disappointed by the film? Uncertain if I was going to see the film I went ahead and read Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi.
With no foothold at all on Iranian history, culture or political perspective other than what little I learned in 1979 when 53 hostages were held in the American Embassy by militants, Persepolis was a refreshing look into an otherwise closed world. The hostage situation was a particularly powerful touch point for me. In a small portion of the graphic novel here was a woman retelling the events of 1979 from a completely different point of view. The author and I were at the same stage in our lives and we were reading about and ruminating over the events that were transpiring. Thousands of miles separated us but there was this interesting connection - even if it was created in another century and, albeit, one-sided. Persepolis still makes me feel like Marjane and I are close friends, friends that visit one another and who are asked after the other at family functions.
Part of that connection is forged by the author being a writer revealing her personal history. She's coming at her experiences as an intellectual and I just couldn't help but get sucked into her narrative filled with hope, idealism and her pursuit to educate herself. Although unique Persepolis takes on this Austenian air in black and white.
After having read the book I could not imagine how this would express itself without her illustration. The graphic novel format threatens to wash out the literature of the book, obfuscating well crafted language, but what you may have missed in Satrapi's writing you gain in this expressive medium. A young, heartbroken Marjane lying in a black field, lost, was a powerful image and I'm uncertain one that could have been replicated with only words.
The tale spans over a decade and attempts to help the reader understand complex politics, conflicted religious perspective while navigating the spectrum of human drama. Persepolis takes on a feel of communist testimonials told before hundreds of your comrades but those experiences carry with them a personal stake. Even topics I thought I knew a little about I found elightened and informed through a vivid, critical lense.