Go do it Persepolis challenges perceptions of graphic novels; author will visit
April 16th, 2008, 5:12 pm Hobbies And Interests
Marjane Satrapi could have written “Persepolis” as a traditional memoir, but it’s safe to say fewer people would have noticed had she added to the glut of autobiographies on the market.Instead, Satrapi, who is appearing in Boise as part of The Cabin’s Readings and Conversations series, presented her tale of growing up in revolutionary Iran as a graphic novel that has yielded reams of critical acclaim and an Oscar-nominated animated film adaptation.With her book sitting on bookstore shelves next to Batman, the 38-year-old Satrapi is a bit of an anomaly, but she’s not the first writer to adopt the graphic novel for a “serious” literary work worlds away from superhero comics. “Satrapi is certainly among the vanguard of artists and writers working in this form. But she is not alone,” said Paul Shaffer, The Cabin’s artistic and executive director.Shaffer mentioned, among others, Art Spiegelman, who won a 1992 Pulitzer Prize for “Maus,” a memoir about his relationship with his father, a Holocaust survivor.”It’s hard to argue with that kind of legitimacy,” Shaffer said. “And ‘Persepolis’ was nominated for an Academy Award, which affords the form yet more.”Long before it became a film, “Persepolis” was praised for showing a side of Middle Eastern life rarely seen by Westerners.Part coming-of-age story, part first-person historical account, “Persepolis” begins in 1980 with the bright, idealistic, rebellious 10-year-old Satrapi witnessing the Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.Four years later, Satrapi’s progressive, intellectual parents send her to school in Vienna, Austria, to escape Iran’s continual turmoil. “Persepolis” documents her adolescence in Europe, return to Iran for college, and self-imposed exile in France.Full of wit, personality and vivid character portraits, “Persepolis” is an engaging narrative that clearly benefits from Satrapi’s bold and edgy black-and-white illustrations. Her unique historical perspective and embrace of nontraditional storytelling devices are why The Cabin’s directors felt she was a good fit for Readings and Conversations. “We wanted to know about Iran and thought our audience would as well,” Shaffer said. “And inviting Satrapi was an opportunity to encourage readers here to open a graphic novel, to experience something new and on the cutting edge.”Chad Dryden: 672-6734
Tags: adolescence, audience, challenges, lai, parents, perce, perspective, relatRelated posts
