French-Iranian Persepolis author Marjane Satrapi dies of ‘sadness’

Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel was born from her experiences of the Islamic revolution and war with Iraq.French-Iranian author and film director Marjane Satrapi has died at the age of 56.Best known for her autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis, which she later directed as a film, Satrapi’s passing was announced on Thursday by French ⁠President Emmanuel Macron’s office.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Iranian authorities remain defiant, urge supporters to stay in streetslist 2 of 4How Iran has changed, and how it hasn’t, in two months of warlist 3 of 4Winning peace in Lebanon is harder than winning warlist 4 of 4US says Iran’s new supreme leader alive and ‘increasingly engaging’end of listHer family said in a statement sent to the AFP news agency that Satrapi had died of “sadness” a little over a year after the death of her husband, Mattias Ripa.Macron paid tribute to the author and said “her passing marks the loss of a leading figure in French culture and an artist devoted to freedom, whose work carried a universal message and earned her immense international renown”.The dissident writer and illustrator was born in 1969 in Rasht, in northern Iran. In 1983, her parents sent her to Austria to finish her studies due to growing extremism following the Iranian revolution in 1979 that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power.But she returned home due to homesickness and attended the University of Tehran, obtaining a degree in visual communications which would lay the foundation for her artistic path.Satrapi left for France in 1994, where she lived much of her life, but remained deeply connected to her Iranian roots through her work.‘Boys, booze and punk rock’Her black-and-white autobiographical novel, which first came out in 2000, would be born from the experiences of her life, most notably Iran’s Islamic revolution and the fallout of its war with Iraq.The coming-of-age story weaves together boys, booze and punk rock, while its monochromatic illustrations draw readers into the author’s world and the strong narrative breathing life into every page.French directors Marjane Satrapi, right, and Vincent Paronnaud pose with their award for best debut film for Persepolis at the French Cesar ceremony in Paris, on February 22, 2008 [Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters]The film delves into her life about growing up a strong-willed young girl of intellectual parents.