Marjane Satrapi is dead: The author of "Persepolis" died at the age of 56

Childhood in Tehran and Exile in Vienna

"Persepolis" was adapted into an animated film in 2007, directed by Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud. The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was submitted by France for an Oscar in 2008. A nomination followed. "Persepolis" remains banned in Iran to this day, but it found its way into the country.

After "Persepolis," Satrapi published two more comics before increasingly turning to filmmaking, working as a director and screenwriter. She was considered an important voice for freedom of expression, women's rights, and a nuanced view of Iranian society. As a sharp critic of Iran's theocratic government, she repeatedly took a stand against the regime.

"Woman, Life, Freedom" and Political Engagement

In 2023, Satrapi published the comic collection "Woman, Life, Freedom" in response to the protests in Iran following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, a Kurd. She contributed to the collection, which featured contributions from well-known illustrators. With this work, she expressed solidarity with the protest movement, which became known internationally as the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement.

In January 2025, Satrapi declined to be inducted into the French Legion of Honour, the state's highest award. She explained her decision on Instagram, stating that support for the women's revolution in Iran should not be limited to "taking photos with victims or celebrities at memorial services for Mahsa Amini's death." She also told Deutschlandfunk: "Visas are denied to Iranian dissidents and protesters, yet the children of the Revolutionary Guard stroll through Nice and St. Tropez." She did not want an order from a state "that only symbolically stands behind the uprising of the people in Iran."

Rejection of the Legion of Honour

Satrapi leaves behind an extensive body of work that extends far beyond "Persepolis." Her visual language, often in black and white, transformed personal experiences into a universal narrative about identity, migration, and political oppression. French President Emmanuel Macron honored her as "a great artist who turned her Iranian childhood into a universal tale."

According to those close to the artist, Satrapi died just over a year after the death of her husband, Mattias Ripa. A member of her inner circle stated that she died "of grief," "a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life." Ripa was a film producer who had worked on Satrapi's film projects, among others.

Death after the Loss of Her Husband

With her death, the international literary scene loses one of its most influential voices, who made life in Iran between revolution, war, and exile accessible to a global readership. Her work remains a monument to the importance of art as a means of political dissent.

Satrapi left behind a life's work that never drew a line between comics, film, and political activism. She herself once said that she had no intention of becoming a political artist, but merely wanted to tell her story – yet it was precisely this personal narrative that became a political statement.

Grief over Satrapi's death is intertwined these days with the memory of a body of work that has shaped generations of readers. Her characters, her drawing style, and her laconic humor have set standards for autobiographical storytelling in the medium of comics.