Marjane Satrapi, acclaimed Iranian‑French author of Persepolis, dies at 56

Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian‑French cartoonist, writer and filmmaker behind the graphic novel series Persepolis, died at age 56. French authorities reported her death followed a period of deep grief after the loss of her husband, Swedish producer Mattias Ripa, a year earlier.

Satrapi’s work brought the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath to international audiences, with Persepolis translated into dozens of languages and adapted into an Academy‑Award‑nominated animated film. Her later graphic novels, including Broderies and Chicken with Plums, were also turned into films. As a director she helmed Radioactive (2019) and The Voices (2014).

Beyond her artistic achievements, Satrapi was a vocal advocate for Iranian women’s rights. She produced the illustrated book Femme, vie, liberté in 2023 to highlight the 2022 protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death, and she declined France’s Legion of Honour in 2024, criticizing the government’s support for Iranian democracy. In 2024 she was elected to the French Académie des Beaux‑Arts. Her death marks the loss of a prominent cultural figure and human‑rights voice.