Marjane Satrapi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marjane Satrapi
مرجان ساتراپی
Satrapi during the 2008 Cannes Film Festival
Born	(1969-11-22) 22 November 1969 (age 55) Rasht, Imperial State of Iran
Nationality	Iranian French
Occupation	Artist and writer
Notable work	Persepolis Embroideries Chicken with Plums The Voices Radioactive
Awards	Full list

Marjane Satrapi (born 22 November 1969) is a talented French-Iranian artist and writer. She is famous for her graphic novels, which are like long comic books, and for directing films. Some of her most well-known works include the graphic novel Persepolis and the movie made from it. She also created the graphic novel Chicken with Plums and directed the film Radioactive, which is about the scientist Marie Curie.

About Marjane Satrapi

Her Early Life in Iran

Marjane Satrapi was born in Iran in 1969. She grew up in Tehran, the capital city, in a family that cared a lot about politics. Her parents supported groups that wanted changes in the government, which was then led by a king called the Shah. Her great-grandfather was even a Persian emperor many years ago!

When Marjane was ten years old, a big event called the Iranian Revolution happened in 1979. This revolution changed Iran from a monarchy (ruled by a king) to an Islamic republic. This meant that religious leaders took power.

Growing Up During Difficult Times

During her childhood, Marjane saw many difficult things. People she knew, including family and friends, were sometimes arrested or even killed by the new government.

Her uncle, Anoosh, was a hero to her. He had been a political prisoner and lived in another country for a while. Marjane loved her uncle very much, and he treated her like his own daughter. Sadly, when Anoosh returned to Iran, he was arrested again and sentenced to death. Marjane was the only person he was allowed to see the night before he died.

Moving to Europe and Back

As Marjane became a teenager, her parents worried about her safety. She was getting into trouble for not following strict rules about how people should dress and for buying music that was banned.

To keep her safe, her parents sent her to live in Vienna, Austria, when she was 14 years old in 1983. She went to high school there and lived in different places, sometimes even on the streets for a few months. After getting very sick, she returned to Iran. She studied visual communication and earned a master's degree.

Later, Marjane moved to Strasbourg, France, to continue her studies. Her parents encouraged her to stay in Europe permanently, as they felt Iran was no longer safe for her.

Life in Paris

Today, Marjane Satrapi lives in Paris, France, with her husband, Mattias Ripa. She speaks many languages, including her first language, Persian, as well as French, English, Swedish, German, and Italian.

Her Creative Work

Famous Graphic Novels

Marjane Satrapi became famous around the world for her graphic novels. These are books that tell a story using both words and pictures, much like a long comic book.

Her most famous work is Persepolis. This series tells the story of her childhood in Iran and her teenage years in Europe. It was first published in French and later in English. Persepolis won an important award called the Angoulême Coup de Coeur Award.

In 2013, some schools in Chicago tried to remove Persepolis from classrooms. This caused a lot of discussion and protests because many people felt it was an important book.

Marjane also wrote other graphic novels like Embroideries and Chicken with Plums, which also won awards. She has even written articles for The New York Times newspaper.

Marjane prefers to call her books "comic books" rather than "graphic novels." She once said that people are sometimes afraid to say "comic" because they think of it in a silly way, but she believes it's all just comics.

Directing Films

Marjane Satrapi at the premiere of Persepolis

Persepolis was made into an animated movie, which means it uses drawings that move. The film came out in 2007 and was a big success. It won a special award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Marjane co-wrote and co-directed the Persepolis film. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2008. Marjane was the first woman ever to be nominated for this award! Even though the Iranian government did not like the film, it was very popular and won many other awards.

Marjane has directed other films too. She worked with Vincent Paronnaud again on a live-action movie based on her graphic novel Chicken with Plums. She also directed the comedy-horror film The Voices in 2014 and the movie Radioactive in 2019, which tells the story of Marie Curie.

Her Voice for Change

Political Activism

Marjane Satrapi is also known for speaking out about political issues. After the Iranian elections in 2009, she and another Iranian filmmaker shared information that suggested the election results might have been unfair.

In 2022, she showed her support for the Mahsa Amini protests, which were protests in Iran about women's rights and freedom.

Awards and Recognition

Marjane Satrapi has received many awards for her work:

• 2001: Angoulême Coup de Coeur Award for Persepolis
• 2002: Angoulême Prize for Scenario for Persepolis: Tome 2
• 2005: Angoulême Best Comic Book Award for Poulet aux prunes
• 2007: Jury Prize for Persepolis at the Cannes Film Festival
• 2007: Best Animation: Los Angeles Film Critics Association
• 2008: Gat Perich Award
• 2008: Lulu of the Year Award
• 2009: Honorary Doctorates from two universities in Belgium
• 2013: Noor Iranian Film Festival award for Best Animation Director, for Chicken with Plums
• 2024: Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities

Her Books

Books in French

• Persepolis Volume 1 (2000)
• Persepolis Volume 2 (2001)
• Persepolis Volume 3 (2002)
• Persepolis Volume 4 (2003)
• Sagesses et malices de la Perse (2001)
• Les monstres n'aiment pas la lune (2001)
• Ulysse au pays des fous (2001)
• Ajdar (2002)
• Broderies (2003)
• Poulet aux prunes (2004)
• Le Soupir (2004)

Books in English

• Embroideries (2005)
• Chicken with Plums (2006)
• Monsters Are Afraid of the Moon (2006)
• The Sigh (2011)

Her Films

See also

In Spanish: Marjane Satrapi para niños