Author: Marjan Satrapi
Publisher: Pantheon
Pages: 160
Publication date: June 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-0812971064
Persepolis is an acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi that chronicles her coming of age in Iran during and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Through stark black-and-white comic-strip illustrations, Satrapi depicts her childhood in Tehran, her adolescence in Vienna, and her eventual return to Iran.
The memoir combines personal and often humorous stories with intense political, social, and emotional experiences. Rather than focusing only on historical events, it shows how large political changes shape everyday life — family relationships, school, friendships, and growing up under shifting expectations. The narrative moves between light and heavy moments, reflecting both the curiosity of youth and the pressures of living in a restrictive environment.
At its center, the book explores freedom, identity, and daily life within a repressive regime, while also telling a universal story about adolescence and belonging. Accessible and visually direct, Persepolis offers readers an intimate perspective on modern Iranian history through lived experience rather than distant analysis.