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

Marjane Satrapi, the French‑Iranian cartoonist and writer best known for the autobiographical graphic novel and animated film *Persepolis*, died in Paris at age 56. Her family said she succumbed to grief more than a year after the death of her husband, producer‑actor‑screenwriter Mattias Ripa, who passed away on 8 April 2025.

Satrapi, born in Rasht, Iran, in 1969, moved to Europe as a teenager, studied art in Strasbourg, and settled in Paris in 1994, acquiring French citizenship in 2006. Her work, which includes *Chicken with Plums*, the horror‑comedy *The Voices*, and the documentary *Radioactive*, earned international acclaim and several award nominations, including an Oscar nod for the animated adaptation of *Persepolis*. In 2025 she refused a French Legion of Honour award, criticizing perceived hypocrisy over Iran. Her latest comic, *Woman, Life, Freedom* (2024), supported Iranian protest movements.

Satrapi’s death marks the loss of a prominent cultural figure whose storytelling bridged Iranian and Western perspectives.