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 November 22, 1969) is a talented French-Iranian artist and writer. She is famous for her graphic novels, which are like comic books but tell longer, more complex stories. She also directs films and writes children's books.

Her most well-known works include the graphic novel Persepolis and the animated movie made from it. She also created the graphic novel Chicken with Plums and directed Radioactive, a movie about the famous scientist Marie Curie.

About Marjane Satrapi

Her Early Life in Iran

Marjane Satrapi was born in Rasht, Iran. Her family moved to Tehran when she was very young, and she grew up there. She went to a French-language school called Lycée Razi.

Her parents were interested in politics and wanted changes for their country. They were against the ruler at the time, called the Shah. Marjane's great-grandfather was even a Persian emperor many years ago.

In 1979, the Iranian Revolution happened. New leaders who followed strict religious rules took power. Marjane experienced tough times and saw many people, including family and friends, face difficulties because of the political situation.

A Special Uncle

Marjane looked up to her uncle, Anoosh. He had been held as a political prisoner and lived away from his home country for a while. Marjane admired him greatly, and he treated her like his own daughter.

When Anoosh returned to Iran, he was arrested again. He was allowed one visitor the night before he died, and he asked to see Marjane. His body was buried in a secret grave.

Moving to Europe

As Marjane grew older, her parents worried about her safety. She was a teenager and sometimes got into trouble for not following strict rules about how people should dress or for buying banned music.

To keep her safe, her parents arranged for her to study abroad. In 1983, when she was 14, she moved to Vienna, Austria. She attended the Lycée Français de Vienne.

During her time in Vienna, she moved around a lot. She sometimes stayed with friends. After a difficult period, she became very sick and had to go to the hospital.

Returning Home and New Beginnings

After getting better, Marjane returned to Iran. She studied visual communication and earned a master's degree. She married a man named Reza, but they later divorced.

Her parents encouraged her to stay in Europe permanently, saying Iran was no longer the right place for her. So, she moved to Strasbourg, France, to continue her studies.

Today, Marjane Satrapi lives in Paris. She speaks many languages, including Persian, French, English, Swedish, German, and Italian.

Her Creative Work

Graphic Novels and Comics

Marjane Satrapi became famous around the world for her graphic novels. These are autobiographical, meaning they tell stories from her own life. They were first published in French between 2000 and 2003.

Her most famous work is Persepolis. It describes her childhood in Iran and her teenage years in Europe. Persepolis won an important award called the Angoulême Coup de Coeur Award.

Another one of her graphic novels, Chicken with Plums, also won an award. Marjane has also written articles for The New York Times.

Marjane prefers to call her works "comic books" rather than "graphic novels." She believes the word "comic" is important and shouldn't be avoided.

Making Movies

Marjane Satrapi at the premiere of Persepolis

Persepolis was turned into an animated movie with the same name. It was shown for the first time at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and won a special award. Marjane helped write and direct the film with Vincent Paronnaud.

The English version of the Persepolis movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Marjane was the first woman to be nominated for this award. The film was very successful and won other awards too.

Marjane and Vincent Paronnaud worked together again on a live-action movie called Chicken with Plums, which came out in 2011.

Marjane also directed a comedy-crime film called La bande des Jotas in 2012. In 2014, she directed the comedy-horror film The Voices.

In 2019, she directed Radioactive, a movie about Marie Curie, who won the Nobel Prize twice. In 2021, Marjane also lent her voice to a French animated short film called The Soloists.

Her Activism

Marjane Satrapi has also been involved in political activism. After the Iranian elections in 2009, she spoke out about concerns regarding the election results.

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

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 (Chicken with Plums)
• 2007: Jury Prize for Persepolis at the Cannes Film Festival
• 2007: Best Animation from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association
• 2008: Gat Perich Award
• 2008: Lulu of the Year Award
• 2009: Doctor honoris causa (an honorary degree) 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, with Lila Ibrahim-Ouali and Bahman Namwar-Motalg)
• Les monstres n'aiments pas la lune (2001)
• Ulysse au pays des fous (2001, with Jean-Pierre Duffour)
• 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